Us Against the World
by CrzyMonkyFrk
Summary: Four teenagers who survived the outbreak become good friends and find refuge in a community of strangers. Growing up is hard to do, especially when it involves zombies.
1. We're Fighting Back

Life has a funny way of suddenly changing on the unexpected and we were the furthest from expecting. In one day, just a single ordinary day, children were being born, people were getting married, birds were singing, and the dead they were walking.

Nobody knows why they came back I sure as hell don't. I do know that there can never be a scientific reason for it other then the fact that God grew bored of his creations and decided to purge and start anew. We accept them now, our dead companions on this lonely earth in an almost sick understanding. The violently moved us out of freedom and into the shadows of what we once were. They have assumed our role and the top of the food chain. They tore our families apart or obliterated them completely without any thought or emotion. But like I said before, life has a funny way of changing. And we're fighting back.

"Noel put that back right now." Katie said without even turning around. The little girl giggled and dropped the gun she was 'secretly' holding.

"You should go back home. Your mom is one to worry." Katie said gently picking up the handgun and slamming it into her holster.

"Katie! I want to go with you!" she pouted.

"Noel, if you go home now I might be able to bring you back something." Katie turned to reach a machete off the wall.

"Will it be something shiny?" Noel asked eagerly.

Katie laughed. "I don't know if anything out there is shiny enough for kiddo but I'll do my best."

"Yay!" The little girl squealed and bounded out of the ammunition room almost knocking over a tall red haired teenage boy.

The boy ignored the Noel and stepped fully into the room throwing a look of disgust Katie's way.

"You always take the good stuff." He groaned looking over the assorted guns and blades.

"Yeah, sorry Ryan. Hey, where is Stephen?" Katie

"Probably out at the jeep or something. I don't know the damn kid is everywhere. Ryan peered down the barrel of a shotgun. He swung it casually over his shoulder. "You ready then?"

"Yup. Ready enough anyway. Population control is ready to roll. As soon as we find Steve." Katie answered.

"Let's go out fighting." Ryan recited.

"I'm behind you 'till the end." Katie recited back and they left to find their third amigo Stephen.

"I was wondering when you two were going to show up. I've only been here for half an hour you know." Stephen was a long and lanky boy with blonde hair and cloudy blue eyes.

"Cram it poi Dexter we were looking for you." Ryan chunked some ammo into the back of the jeep and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Hey Stephen." Katie greeted brightly climbing into the passenger's side.

"Mornin' Katie!" Stephen said loudly just to irritate Ryan.

At the exit gate and guard checked over everyone's identification.

"Population control?" The guard grunted throwing Katie's I.D. back at her. "Crazy kids with guns. What is the world coming to?"

"What the hell kind of question was that?" Katie laughed as they pulled out into dead man's land. "What is the world coming to? Haha."

"If you see anything let me know." Ryan ordered.

"Oh like if we see something we're just going to ignore it. Honestly Ryan what great logic you have." Stephen answered sarcastically.

"Don't be a smartass" Ryan threatened.

"Don't be a prick." Stephen shot back.

Ryan slammed the brakes throwing both Stephen and Katie into the dashboard. "Haha! That's what you get you assclown." Ryan laughed at Stephen.

"Son of a bitch Ryan!" Katie shouted holding her hand over her mouth which was obviously bleeding. "When will you guys stop acting like fucking twelve year olds?"

"Oh geez Katie I'm sorry." Ryan expressed throwing a dirty look at Stephen.

"Forget it. I'm going out on foot for awhile." Katie climbed out of the jeep and walked over to a nearby gas station while Ryan shouted "Keep your gun out!"

Katie stood at the entrance to the gas station peering into the broken window. "Hello? Anybody home? Didn't think so." She jumped through a broken window landing on shards of glass.

She walked up and down the empty aisles stepping over rotting bodies and overturned shelves. "Oh god." Katie pulled her shirt over her mouth and nose and the smell was beginning to sink in.

Katie stepped into what at first glance looked like dried blood but had to catch herself as it was actually wet. The blood trail let out the back door of the station next to the door has only the torso and head of a bullet ridden zombie with flesh still hanging from it's teeth. Whoever it bit must still be in the area.

Katie unclipped her radio. "Ryan, Steven are you there?" she kept her eyes the back door the whole time.

Stephen answered back. "Yeah what can we do you for?"

"I think I might have found one."

"You think? Where at?"

"Out back behind the gas station I found some fresh blood and a dead zombie."

"Zombies are already dead. But alright we'll bring the jeep around."

"No I think I can handle this one alright. Haven't gotten the chance in ages."

"Suit yourself. Try not to get bit."

"Oh well thank you for your support."

"You got it. We'll be in touch." Stephen clicked off.

Katie banging on the door and waited to see if something banged back and when nothing did she kicked the door open with her gun raised. The door had lead straight outside. The blood trail continued behind a dumpster. Something was humming off in the distance but Katie ignored it and moved slowly to the dumpster.

There sat a man with his back to the dumpster clutching his leg and a discarded gun lying on the ground beside him. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily. He would turn at any minute.

As Katie pointed her gun to his head he said with his eyes still closed. "I ran out of bullets. I used them all on those bastards and didn't save any for myself." He coughed and spewed blood everywhere so that Katie took a step backwards.

The humming seemed to be getting louder. The man opened his eyes and said "They're coming. To little to late though now."

"Who? Who is coming?" Katie asked peering at the bloodied man suspiciously.

"My boys are coming!"

Katie turned towards the humming sound and suddenly it hit her. "Shit!" she whispered.

"They are coming back for me." The man said slowly before losing his consciousness.

Katie grabbed her radio. "Ryan hide the jeep! Come in! Stephen hide the jeep and get out of sight!" Katie was practically screaming into the radio when the man turned and staggered to his feet.

Katie aimed and blew the zombie's head off before it could take a step towards her.

"Copy that Katie. What are we hiding from?" Ryan's voice answered back over the radio.

"Outcasts. I can hear their motorcycles from here."

On the other line Ryan was silent. The humming was now a dull roar. "We're coming after you!" Ryan voiced finally.

"No, it's to late they're almost here I got a place to hide. You guys just be careful."

"I don't like this Katie but ok we'll keep an eye out."

Katie clipped her radio back onto her belt and looked at the dumpster that was covered in blood and various other substances. Behind her she could hear distinct voices. They were in the gas station.

Groaning Katie climbed into the dumpster careful not the slam the door. She sat and waited for what seemed like hours. Whatever she was sitting on was fairly squishy and she had a horrible feeling that it was a body of someone who thought to hide only to slowly starve to death in an empty dumpster.

"I found him!" Someone outside shouted.

"Damn they really did get him!"

"Mother Fucker must have shot himself."

"Saves us some trouble now doesn't it."

Katie could not tell how many of them were out there. She was afraid they would be able to hear her heart beat echoing off the dumpster walls.

"Well there's nothing in the store. The damn fort probably cleaned it out awhile ago."

"They'll pay for it soon enough."

_That can't be good, what are they planning? _Katie thought to herself

"What are we going to do with him? Leave him here?"

"Nah he deserves a proper burial." They all broke out in laughter.

"Ah just chuck him in the trash and let's go back before it gets dark."

The color in Katie's face drained. They were going to open the dumpster and find her and when they do…

The dumpster lid began to creak open. Thinking fast Katie slumped over and closed her eyes. She could sense the light that invaded the small dark rectangle. Before anyone even noticed the body of the zombie was thrown on her lap. Katie felt it's cold blood running don her leg and she resisted the urge to whimper.

"Hey there's a girl in here!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah and she's dead." Shadows were blocking the light indicating that the outlaws were leaning in to get a closer look.

"So she looks fresh enough to last at least a few days. Let's take her back it's been awhile since we last had a woman."

_You mother fuckers touch me alive or dead I'll blow off your members and then make you eat them. _Katie thought trying her best not to flinch. If these men didn't kill her the smell of the dumpster would.

"We'd get slowed down and I don't want that group catching up with us. There were some runners and they can probably smell us now. Let's get out of here while we can." There were some murmurs and the dumpster lid slammed back down.

Katie jumped a little. "Shit! Let's get out of here! Move it!" The outlaws were screaming on the outside. The motorcycles roared to life and soon they were only humming in the distance again.

Katie, wondering what made them leave so fast shifted the body off her with much effort. She flipped the lid open and automatically started gasping for air. If the zombie around the corner had not roared before it charged at her she would have been bitten.

"Whoa!" She shouted pulling out her hand gun and shooting it's head off. "That was to close."

Another zombie came running around the corner roaring. Katie shot it as well. _Oh shit Ryan and Stephen!_ She thought pulling out her radio again.

"You guys still alive?" Katie asked shooting at another slower moving zombie.

"Jesus Katie took you long enough!" Ryan came back.

"Yeah well I was busy."

"No kidding. Where are you?" Ryan voiced.

"Ugh. You don't want to know. But those outlaws brought a horde with them."

"Yeah me and Stephen heard the gun shots and they are starting to straggle in. We'll clear them out best we can and come get you if you tell us where you're at."

"I'll just come to you guys. Where are you at?" Katie asked.

"We're in a tree across from the gas station you went in."

"Roger that."

"Alright. Wait until we clear out an zombies before you run over here. We'll give you a call when you can go."

Katie nodded even though they couldn't see her. Gunfire broke out and Katie shifted her weight in the dumpster waiting for the ok.

Stephen called over the radio this time. "Alright you should be clear now but be careful a group of them are heading over to the gas station. I think they are attracted to something in there. But Ryan ran for the Jeep so just meet us over here before they come back."

Katie groaned. "How many Stephen?"

"How many what?" he answered back.

"Zombies damn it how many are heading over to the gas station?"

"Ah fuck Katie are you in the gas station?"

"Well no, not technically. But I am in the area." Katie answered.

"Well get up on the roof!"

The back door to he gas station creaked open and a zombie toppled out. Two more came creeping out from around the corner and Katie could hear more moaning on the other side.

Katie began firing at the oncoming dead. She picked up her radio while continuing to shoot. "To late they found me I'm going to need some back up behind the gas station."

"Okay I'm sending Ryan around with the Jeep. Hang tight."

More and more zombies found their way to Katie. She had to drop the radio and began to swing her machete at the ones getting to close when she ran out of bullets. Ten or fifteen now surrounded the dumpster.

One grabbed onto Katie's arm forcing her to drop the blade. "Shit!" She yelled yanking her arm back and retreating back down into the dumpster pulling and holding down the lid behind her.

She wasn't sure if the zombie were smart enough to open the lid or not but she did not want to risk it. They were slamming onto the metal obviously knowing that food was somewhere inside. The pounding was constant and Katie had thought she'd gone deaf for a few moments. That is until she heard the gun fire from the Jeep's mounted machine gun.

"Katie?" Ryan was on the radio. When Katie had dropped it, it fell underneath the outlaw's body. Katie moved to retrieve it but when she moved her hands away from the lid a zombie slipped in bloodied hand in.

"Damn it!" Katie hissed pulling the lid back don quickly crushing the still moving hand. "Katie this is Ryan come in!" the radio crackled just out of reach.

Katie tried again to reach it but to no avail. There was a faint tearing sound and the zombie's hand landing in her lap. The banging from the zombies was still consistent.

"Katie are you ok?"

Katie picked up the zombie hand and used it to try and grab the rado. It didn't work and the smell and the noise were getting to Katie. She was having trouble concentrating and felt as though she would pass out at any moment.

There was another sudden burst of gunfire only this time some shots went through the dumpster. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Katie moaned.

Another round was being shot and more bullets ripped holes in the metal. She had to duck in order to avoid being hit. Katie let go of the lid and when it didn't move she quickly reached for the radio just as more gunfire rattled the dumpster. Katie rolled to the back using the unknown body as a shield.

"Ryan stop!"

More gunfire and I felt something tear through my leg. "Stop shooting! I'm in the dumpster! Hold your fire! Repeat hold your god damn fire!" Katie shouted into the radio.

"Christ Katie! Whatever you do don't leave the dumpster." Ryan answered.

"Oh that's beautiful! Where do you think I'd go? Just get me out of here!"

"That's a problem you're completely surrounded."

"Well why aren't they coming after you?" Katie asked angrily.

"They haven't seen me yet. I'm hitting and running."

"I'm going to hit you whenever I get out of here!"

"Katie! You're alive!" Stephen now called.

"And just where the hell are you then?" Ryan shouted.

"I'm up on the roof to the gas station."

"Good see the dumpster?" Ryan was talking to Stephen.

"Yeah sure do. I'm standing right above it. Looks like they are trying to open it or something."

Katie leapt up and grabbed a hold of the lid again before she talked back to Stephen. "Listen Stephen you have to snipe them all so I can get out."

"Are you in the dumpster?!"

"We've already established that now just do what she says!" Ryan said.

"Hey I don't see you do anything Rambo." Stephen mocked.

"Now is not the time to be arguing!" Katie shouted.

"Ok this will only take a bit." Stephen assured.

Gunshots came out in singles and Katie sat back down patiently waiting.

"You're doing it all wrong!" Ryan was saying.

"Just shut up and let me shoot."

"If you call that shooting." Ryan scoffed. Katie rolled her eyes. She really had no idea why they fought so often.

A few moments and many gunshots later…

"Ok you're clear." Stephen called.

"Are you sure?" Katie asked cautiously. Another shot ran out. "Now I am."

Katie pushed the lid up and climbed out gasping for air and smelling worse than a dead person. She tried to stand but collapsed in pain.

"Katie are you alright?" Ryan asked running over to her and lifting her out of the dumpster.

"Is she bit?" Stephen called from above us.

Katie smacked and pushed Ryan away. "You fucking shot me!"

"You shot her?!" Stephen roared from above.

"I'm sorry it was an accident. Just get down here and we'll take her back."


	2. Painful Losses

The bullet went through Katie's left thigh. Karen had said that she was lucky it didn't hit the bone but Katie was still confined inside the fort until further notice.

Katie stayed in a joint apartment with six other girls including Karen, Ryan's sister but Katie never spent much time in the apartment and she was going crazy.

Ryan and Stephen would come to visit from time to time and that was the only thing that kept her sane. Stephen showed up one day randomly.

"Where's Ryan?" Katie asked.

"Well that's a nice welcome. I brought you girls some food." Stephen waved a bag obviously full of food.

"Ryan is fighting tonight." Karen answered taking the bag from Stephen. "Wow, where did you get all this from?"

"I pulled some strings." Stephen said casually.

Karen raised her eyebrows and began distributing the food evenly to everyone before taking some herself.

"I want to go to the arena tonight." Katie said suddenly. Stephen looked at Karen.

"Can you even walk?" he asked.

"Yes." Katie said stubbornly.

"No. She can't even get down the stairs. I caught her escaping yesterday." Karen interrupted.

"I can too! I just might need a little assistance from time to time."

"Might as well. I mean she's going to go anyway." Stephen caved.

"Fine but you go with her. I hate that place. So…so barbaric." Karen said softly.

"Yes! When does Ryan go on?" Katie shouted.

"He's headlining" Stephen answered allowing Katie to put her arm around him.

"This is going to be fun." Katie smiled as the two walked out of the apartment.

"Why do you want to watch Ryan so bad? You see him fight all the time." Stephen asked as they tackled the stairs.

"He shot me I hope he gets his ass kicked!" Katie covered. Stephen laughed all the way downstairs.

They got good seats near the front before a lot of other people showed up. When a fairly decent crowd had gathered they began chanting "Kill! Kill! Kill!" to signal the start of the games.

The cheesy announcer's voice echoed all around "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to tonight's Zombie Games!" More cheering erupted. "We've got a great line up folks! We'll start off with Edward Jackson fighting a blonde brute with a weapon of choice. Following that gory act we have Michelle Artz who will give a fire demonstration with multiple chained zombies. And then we have our very own Ryan Briggs who will fight a three day old zombie bare knuckled!"

The crowd roared at the sound of Ryan's name. He was very popular in the Games.

"Finally we have a special surprise for all you kiddos that stay up late with us! And now without further ado Mr. Jackson!"

And extremely big and buff man burst into the cage screaming and shouting at the crowd trying to rile them up more. Katie recognized the man he was a member of another population control squad.

"Release the zombie!"

Katie was slightly disappointed when a small but lanky blonde female zombie limped its way towards Edward. "Oh this is going to be one-sided for sure." Stephen complained and leaned back in his chair.

Sure enough Edward pulled out a switchblade and threw it into the zombie's head killing it instantly much to the crowd's dismay. "BOO!" They all shouted disapproving of the lack of entertainment.

"Defiantly should have played with him a bit." Katie said watching Edward who was now flipping off the crowd.

"He got scared." Ryan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood next to Katie.

"Whoa. Shouldn't you be getting ready ninja man you're up after this Michelle girl right?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah just wanted to see how Katie is doing."

Katie blushed slightly. "I'm fine really go get ready."

"Alright I'll go. You guys might want to cover your nose for this one though." He motioned to the cage where a young woman was teasing three zombies. All chained. She lit a match and dangled it above one dropping it into it's open mouth setting its whole head aflame.

"Because it's mouth is dry the match does not go out." She explained letting the zombie flail before having water poured onto it's unmoving body.

"What a cynical bitch!" Stephen laughed as she handed a lit lighter to a zombie who them lit himself on fire as well. The smell was horrible but the crowd was enjoying the spectacle.

The third zombie lunged at the woman grabbing her by the hair and tried to bite into her. The crowd shouted as the woman tried to pull away. When she finally did the zombie was holding a massive clump of her hair and scalp while she lay withering on the floor crying.

"Holy shit I bet that hurt!" Katie said astonished as men came to drag Michelle out. "Ryan's up." Stephen pointed to Ryan standing by the cage door taping up his arms and hands.

The Michelle lady was crying hysterically as she was pulled out. The crowd was laughing and cheering. Some were throwing popcorn and other items at her. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Ryan Briggs!!"

Everyone in the place was on their feet screaming. "I think they love him more than we do!" Katie shouted into Stephen's ear.

"Speak for yourself!" He shouted back.

Ryan lid into the cage throwing his arms up in attempt to get the audience even louder.

"Release the zombie!"

The zombie entrance slid open and a fresh zombie who looked to be in his teens rushed at full speed towards Ryan. Jerking out of the way he managed to throw it into the cage wall rattling the chain link door.

The zombie spun back around and thrust it's way to Ryan again. Ryan ducked behind and smashed the zombie in the back with his elbow sending it sprawling on it's stomache.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd chanted.

The zombie got up on it's hands and knees and Ryan kicked in it's head spraying blood and brains everywhere.

"Yeah Ryan!" Katie shouted along with the others. Ryan raised his fists in the air and climbed out of the cage high-fiving people as he made his way back to the fighter's louge.

"Seen enough?" Stephen asked.

Katie nodded and they began to stand when the cage door opened and a living man was thrown into the ring kicking and screaming.

"What the hell?" Katie asked as the man shook the cage door trying to rattle it loose. "No! Please! Let me out!" he kept screaming over and over again.

The zombie entrance was sliding open. "Oh god no!" The man shouted.

"That's an outlaw." Stephen said softly and sure enough the announcer came on.

"Well folks tonight we offer a sacrifice of the lowest kind!" The audience threw what was left of their popcorn into the cage. "Get me the fuck out of here!" The outlaw shouted prying and the door.

A zombie stumbled into the ring moaning and making it's way toward the desperate man. Another zombie crawled in followed by two more. "Damn. This is going to be a feeding frenzy."

The guards were laughing at the man who was screaming at them to let him out. Just as the first zombie grabbed a hold of him the outlaw made one last powerful push onto the door. It opened.

"Holy shit!" Stephen shouted jumping to his feet. The crowd panicked and tried to escape the arena all at once pushing the armed guards out of the way stopping them from simply reclosing the doors.

The first zombie plopped out of the cage and started reaching for people. "Stephen we're going to have fresh zombies inside the fort!" Katie shouted over the screams.

"We need to get out of here!" Stephen shouted back pulling Katie up. They were on the opposite side of the cage where the zombies began climbing out clawing and biting and anyone.

"What about Ryan?" Katie asked and Stephen ran for ward dragging her along.

"I think Ryan will be fine. Right now we have to get out!" Stephen opened a window and practically threw Katie out.

Katie looked back to help Stephen out. Some people were already beginning to turn and she knew it wouldn't be long until the whole arena was infected. Stephen leapt out the window then slammed it shut and grabbed Katie's hand

"Come on! We got to make sure the doors are secure!" Stephen pulled her around to the front doors. "Shit!" Stephen shouted dropping Katie and slamming his body into the opening doors. Katie couldn't tell if it was people or zombies trying to pry them open but Stephen's thin frame wasn't hold up well against them.

"Stephen! There are people alive in there!" Katie shouted desperately but limping to help him anyway.

"Let's just hope some of the escaped like us." Stephen grunted pushing the door back. "Where the fuck are those guards?!"

Katie pressed hard on the door. She could hear the people screaming and the zombies growling inside. "God Stephen we can't hold them forever!"

"We just have to hang on until the guards come!" Stephen pounded his body back up against the door.

There was a loud crash on the other side of the building. Katie looked at Stephen with wide eyes. "What was that?"

"It sounded like the window."

A young woman came around the corner covered in blood and bite marks. Almost her whole left arm was missing along with her right ear and half of her face. "Oh God." Katie whispered.

"HELP ME!" The woman shouted stumbling towards them.

"Stay back!" Katie looked around for a weapon.

"Please!" the woman continued to approach leaving a blood trial behind her.

"Don't come any closer!" Katie reached for a long wooden pole and grasped it tightly.

"Please, please I don't want to die. Help me please!" The woman was only a few feet away from Katie and Stephen and looking very pale.

"I'm warning you!" Katie bellowed holding up the pole.

"Katie!" Stephen shouted. The doors were beginning to bend inward. "They are going to get out!"

The woman's skin was now grey and she was losing her voice and breath. Her veins were purple and thick under her skin.

"Stephen she's turning!" Katie moaned.

"Katie kill her!"

"The door will break!"

"It's going to break whatever we do. We have to have a clear path to escape so kill her!"

Katie stood up but as she did the woman became a zombie and rushed forward. Katie swung the pole around and smacked it upside the woman's head. She fell back against the wall but was still moving. With a grunt Katie shoved the pole down through the woman's still intacted ear spraying blood all over her face.

"Katie. I'm going to let go of the door." Stephen warned her. "When I do just run to the vehicle depot. Ok? Don't look back no matter what. Keep that pole with you."

Katie nodded. Flashes went through her head. Almost a hundred fresh zombies will be released into the fort. Images of Ryan eating Karen and Noel haunted her mind.

"On three. One, two, three! Run!" Stephen pushed off the door and rushed forward.

The pain in Katie's leg was intense but all she could feel was the adrenaline pumping through her as she ran towards the vehicle depot. She didn't even care that she didn't have the keys to anything all she thought about was getting away from those things. As long as she heard Stephen's feet behind her she knew she was alright.

As they ran by the guard posts Stephen noticed no one was stationed there. "Fuckers!" he shouted loudly running to catch up with Katie and the chain link fence.

"How are we going to get in? The place is locked." She asked. The zombies were roaring in the distance but it didn't sound as if any were near.

"We'll have to climb over."

Katie looked up at the barb wire covering the top and shuddered. There was more roaring only this time louder. Katie scaled the fence trying her best to avoid the barbed wire but still received various cuts from her attempts.

Suddenly something exploded shaking the whole ground. "What was that?" Katie asked.

Stephen was half way up the fence when it happened and fell back down to the ground. "I don't know but it didn't come from inside the fort."

Katie looked out. Four zombies were wandering around in the streets chasing people. One turned to see Stephen sitting on the ground.

"Stephen climb!" Katie shouted. Stephen looked back and saw the zombie man running full speed at him. Cursing Stephen climbed to the top of the fence faster than Katie had. Once he was at the top he seemed to be having trouble with the barbed wire part.

"Come on jump!" Katie urged. The zombie ran full force into the fence throwing Stephen down onto Katie.

"Are you alright?" Stephen asked pulling himself off her.

"I'm fine quick we need to hot wire something." Katie jumped off the ground.

The zombie was still clawing at the gate. There was another explosion outside. "What the fuck is going on out there?" Katie shouted.

"Let's take an RV come on." Stephen forced the door to one of the few Death Mobiles open.

Katie climbed in and Stephen rushed to the front and began to pull out various wires. Katie went to the gun cabinet and pulled out one of the high powered rifles. Another explosion echoed shaking the RV.

The engine roared to life jolting a little. "You're amazing Stephen!" Katie breathed as she went up front.

"Save if for when we get out of here huh?" Stephen grinned and pulled out of the garage. Three more zombies joined with the other one outside the fence.

"Punch it." Katie said wiping the blood off her face.

The RV launched forward crashing down the gates and crushing the zombies beneath it. Stephen turned around and headed for the fort exit.

"Wait where are you going?" Katie asked.

"We can't go back they'll swamp us."

"Stephen we can't just leave everyone!"

"Katie what can we do? We'll just be committing suicide."

"What about Ryan? What about our friends"

"What about us Katie?!"

An explosion this time much bigger rocked the whole fort. Stephen slammed on the brakes. Before them were the Fort gates now completely destroyed beyond them stood and army of covered jeeps and hummers with mouted machine guns and various other weapons.

"Outlaws. Fuck!" Stephen shouted slamming his hands down onto the wheel.

"What do we do now?" Katie asked.

Stephen sat still for a second. "Punch it." He whispered and slammed his foot onto the gas. Katie watched as Stephen glared down at the vehicles.

"St-Stephen?" she whispered. "You uh might want to slow down Stephen. Stephen what are you doing?" she said getting louder as she spoke.

"Buckle up!" Stephen shouted as they got closer. Katie followed his orders and sat down shakily clipping her safety belt on.

The second before the RV collided with the jeeps Katie honestly thought that this was going to be the end for her. But the RV plowed right through the outlaws and ruble without much trouble and was on the outside road soon enough.

"Oh my god! Stephen you did it!" Katie laughed looking back and the wreck they had left behind them.

"Ar-Are they, are they coming after us?" Stephen stuttered looking nervous for the first time.

"No it doesn't look like they know what hit them." Katie noted out loud. Stephen let out a sigh of relief as they continued the drive in utter silence.

Katie went to the back after what seemed like hours. They hadn't encountered many zombies on the road perhaps they were all drawn back to the fort she didn't know.

All she could think about was Ryan and the rest of the people. She couldn't help but feel resentful towards Stephen but she knew he was only trying to protect her. Still the images of Ryan as a zombie along with Karen and the others caused her more pain then her leg ever could.

Stephen stopped the RV after awhile to get some rest. He walked back to find Katie already asleep with the tears drying on her cheeks.

"Ryan would have wanted me to get you out." Stephen said softly even though he knew she couldn't hear him before he drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares.


	3. Nothing is safe

Stephen jolted upright in his sleep. He looked over at Katie who was still asleep a frown craved into her features. He turned to the door he could have sworn something had just knocked on it. Just as he was about to lay back down it banged again.

Stephen walked slowly to the window and tried to see who was trying to get in. A zombie was outside the window and didn't hesitate to break through and grab Stephen viciously biting into his neck.

"Argg!" Stephen screamed.

"Stephen! Stephen are you alright?" Katie asked rushing towards him.

"Yeah, just a bad dream. I'm ok. What time is it?"

"Not sure but the sun is coming up."

"We better get going. They might be following us." Stephen stood and walked to the driver's seat.

"Were are we going?" Katie asked sitting next to him lazily.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully we can find an outpost somewhere. Maybe head up north I've heard the cold slows them down."

"Stephen this is horrible." Katie looked out the window at the baron gray landscape.

"Are you just now figuring this out?" Stephen answered coldy.

Katie threw him a dirty look. "Do you really think that's appropriate?"

"I'm sorry I'm just…I'm sorry Katie."

"I'm sorry too. We need to stick together."

"You're right. We're going to need food."

"I'll go see how many MREs we have in the back. We might have to stop somewhere and do some scavenging." Katie climbed over the seat and searched through the cabinets.

Stephen listened to her throw things around in the back and concentrated on the road and any nearby zombies. Katie had stopped making noise in the back.

"Hey Katie what did you find?" Stephen called over his shoulder.

"I think someone is following us!" Katie shouted and ran back up to the front. Stephen looked in the mirrors and small T.V. screens. Sure enough an armored jeep was speeding towards them. "Outlaws?" Katie asked.

"I'm not sure outlaws usually travel in groups. If they are it's a trap and there are more hiding out here somewhere so keep an eye out." Stephen answered speeding up a little bit.

Katie picked up her rifle and returned to the back. Stephen looked down at the gas gauge it had been barely above the E all day and now it was sinking below. "Shit." He muttered glancing back to where Katie was standing in the back watching the screens.

"Stephen are we slowing down or are they speeding up?" She called to him. Stephen couldn't bring himself to tell her that they ran out of gas. "Stephen?" Katie called again. The vehicle was approaching them rapidly.

"Katie." Stephen said quietly. "I think we're in trouble."

Katie walked back up to the front. "Why? What's the problem?" Katie's eyes drifted to the gauge. "Oh that is cause for concern." The RV rolled to a stop. "Now we're in for it."

"What's the plan then?" Stephen looked up at her. Katie started out the mirrors and saw the jeep following them braking to avoid hitting them. "I guess we'll have to make a stand. I don't want to go without fighting anyway." Katie answered.

Stephen turned off the RV and rushed to the back to get a weapon. Katie nodded and slid underneath on of the windows and aimed her rifle at the door. Car doors outside slammed and footsteps could be heard approaching both sides of the RV.

Someone started banging on the widow above Katie. Stephen looked at her and motioned with his fingers and mouth to be quiet as he crawled to the other side of the door. They could hear voices outside and more banging.

They started pounding on the doors and talking more loudly. Katie nodded at Stephen when he reached for the handle. He mouthed one…two…three then flung the door open. "Oh my god!" Stephen shouted and leapt out of the RV. "How in the hell?"

Katie sat up on her knees. "Er what is it Stephen?"

Someone was climbing into the RV and Katie instinctively pulled her rifle up. "Hey hey! Don't shoot I come in peace!"

"Ryan?" Katie dropped her rifle and ran into the red head at full force. "How did you? I mean what happened?"

Ryan laughed as he hugged her back. "It's a long boring story but I'll tell you all about it later. I'm just glad you and Stephen were alright."

"Oh my gosh Katie!"

"Karen! Thank god!" Katie left Ryan to embrace his sister. "I can't believe this!"

Stephen climbed back up. "I have to say I was worried there for a moment."

"Oh come on you know you missed me." Ryan punched him on the shoulder playfully.

"Yeah well let's not get to sentimental in case you've forgotten we're out of gas." Stephen pointed out.

"Don't worry when we left the depot we picked up all the gas tanks we could find they're in the back of the jeep." Karen answered releasing Katie.

"Yeah, we unlike some people thought ahead." Ryan shot.

"Shut up and help me fill the tank." Stephen groaned climbing off again. Ryan followed after him smiling and shaking his head.

"Karen how did you guys get out?" Katie asked sitting down at the table. "I thought me and Stephen would be the only survivors."

"It wasn't pretty. I didn't even know the zombies got in until Ryan stormed into the apartment."

"What about the other girls? Weren't they there?"

"Yeah." Karen answered shakily "But they didn't even make it to the depot. The zombies either got them or…"

"Outlaws? We plowed through them when we were leaving I know." Katie put her hand over Karen's.

"It was horrible. The smell, the blood, the screaming, God I couldn't handle it. If it weren't for Ryan I'd be dead or worse."

"It's ok we're safe now." Katie assured her.

"No, don't you understand? We can never be safe not until every last one of those, those, _things _is dead and gone. And then the people who take advantage of this chaos are worse." Karen sighed and put her head down. "I'm just so tired Katie."

Just then Stephen shouted "Shoot it already!"

Katie stood and walked to the RV door with Karen following closely behind. Outside a zombie was slumped over a tree root growling. It's only leg was bent backwards at the knee making it impossible for it to stand it was trying to pull itself along on its hands but Ryan blew most of them off.

"Gross Ryan just kill it." Karen went to the back to throw up Katie assumed.

"Yeah Ryan put it out of its misery." Katie walked out and over the boys.

"I'm not putting a zombie out of its misery. It deserves every last bullet." Ryan proclaimed.

"Fine put it out of my misery then." Katie looked at the zombie with disgust. "Besides you're making everyone sick."

"Yeah man just kill it." Stephen agreed.

Ryan walked over to the zombie. It tried to lung at him teeth snapping. Ryan pressed his boot onto its neck. The zombie squirmed and tried to bite the outside of the boot but was failing miserably.

"Ryan?" Katie asked taking a step forward.

"Fuck you." Ryan growled. He began to kick the zombie's head with his other foot. Blood splattered all over the tree, Ryan, and Katie.

"Whoa!" Stephen pulled Ryan off. "Let me go!" Ryan bellowed pushed himself away. "Don't touch me!"

Katie looked at Stephen then at Ryan. "Ryan are you okay?" Katie reached out to touch his shoulder.

"I said…don't touch me." Ryan shrugged her hand away and went into the RV. Stephen stood behind Katie "What was that all about?"

"I don't know." Katie climbed on after Ryan. Stephen looked around and at the dead zombie before getting back on the road.

They all felt much safer once the RV was moving. They're goal was to reach Canada or at least another outpost if they could find one. Ryan spent his time sitting by the window glaring outside.

Katie sat next to Stephen and would occasional glance back at Ryan and sigh. Stephen shook his head every time she would do it and tighten his hands on the steering wheel.

"Are we stopping at night?" Karen came out to ask. "Yeah." Stephen answered "We'll turn off all the lights and hide the RV in some trees or something."

Karen nodded and walked back to Ryan. Katie watched as the two spoke in low whispers. Turning back to Stephen she said quietly "I think something happened back at the fort."

"Yeah Katie, it was attacked and everybody is dead. That's what happened." Stephen answered coldly.

"That's not what I meant but if you're going to be a smartass about it forget it." Katie folded her arms and looked ahead at the road. Several moments of silence passed between the two. "Look up ahead." Stephen broke the silence and pointed over the dashboard. "Looks like a supermarket."

"Let's check it out." Katie said. "Drive around a bit to make sure it's clear."

"Hey are we stopping?" It was the first words Ryan had said since they started moving again.

"Yes." Katie said pushing past him roughly.

Ryan watched her walk away. "I guess I deserved that."

"Yeah, I guess you did." Stephen followed after Katie leaving Ryan at the front with his head down.


	4. Understandings

Katie watched as Karen fingered one of the shotguns. "Maybe you should stay with the RV. I mean you don't have much experience if something should happen."

Karen looked up and sighed. "You're probably right. I just hate feeling useless."

"You're not useless Karen besides if someone's not watching the RV it might get stolen or swamped and then we'd be hiking north."

Karen smiled. "Ok, just be careful. Take care of my brother." Karen embraced Katie.

Stephen shouted through the door "Katie let's go!"

"Lock up the RV and keep the radio close alright?"

"And you keep your gun close."

"Today Katie!" Ryan shouted now.

"Keep it in your pants." Katie jumped down and Karen locked the door behind her. "Let's get this over with."

The trio approached the blood caked doors of the supermarket. "This could be a hornet's nest." Stephen nudged a body that was propping the doors open. "I don't hear any growling." Katie whispered.

"That doesn't mean anything." Stephen pointed out.

Ryan grabbed a shopping cart. "I think we should spread out."

Katie shot a look at Ryan "You spread out, Stephen and I are staying together."

Stephen shrugged at Ryan and walked off with Katie. Ryan rolled his eyes and began to walk down the first aisle sliding things into the cart. He heard a gun shot fire but it was only one so he figured it was a false alarm. He stopped to look at the expiration date of some cereal when he heard a crunching sound behind him. He turned to see something darting in and out of the shadows.

"Hey!" he shouted. It wasn't a zombie or it would have charged him. The rustling sound stopped when he shouted. It's outline looked like it was crouching down. "If you're a person I can help you." Ryan groped for the flashlight in his belt. When he started moving the thing starting to growl. There was a flash of white teeth and the black mass rushed forward and past Ryan.

Two zombies were slowing walking towards Ryan moaning hoarsely. "Shit!" He shot both of them in the head and grabbed the cart full of food.

"Ryan?" Katie called over the radio. "We've spotted some but they are moving real slow."

"I know I got a couple here are we heading out?" He replied.

"Yeah, most of this isn't edible anymore but we got what we can." Katie said.

"Ok, there's something I want to check out then I'll meet you guys at the RV."

"Ryan hurry up we only got one of them and I've seen at least three others still in there." Katie warned.

"I think I can handle it like you said they are slow moving they've probably been here for ages."

"Just be careful." Katie said quietly into the radio.

Ryan began to look around for the shadow figure. "Hello? "

The shadow thing padded around in a circle and crouched down again. "Come here you I won't hurt you." Ryan held out his hand. It walked forward almost into the light then stopped and started growling again. Remembering that the last time it growled zombies were around Ryan shifted about looking around carefully.

"Ryan you need to get out of the store now!" Stephen called over the radio. "They know someone is in there and we have some trailing the RV we had to move."

Ryan ignored him and stepped forward towards the thing in the dark. "Come on last chance I don't have much time." Whatever it was it stopped growling and started moving in a circle again.

"Ryan come on." Karen pleaded through the radio.

"It's ok I'm coming."

Ryan turned around to leave and heard the thing following him. A zombie slowly walked around the corner and towards Ryan. It moaned and tried to speed up to reach the fresh meat. Ryan shot at it and kept walking slowly with the food and the thing following behind him.

He could hear zombies moaning in the other aisles and a few were beginning to topple to the front where Ryan was. He tried to shoot the ones he could until his handgun needed reloading.

"Ryan just out run them you don't have time to shoot them all." Katie said into the radio. He could hear the RV humming nearby.

"I'm fine ok? What is the harm of taking out a few zombies?" Ryan called back and began to reload.

A zombie saw at Ryan and moaned louder as if to call all the others to attack. Ryan blew the first ones head off but when three more replaced he started to back peddle. There was a crash and four zombies fell on the floor in front of the exit doors. They got up and made there way towards Ryan too.

Ryan was surrounded but kept firing his gun taking out seven more before he needed reloading again. Ignoring the calls coming in on his radio he backed into a wall and glared at the zombies slowly closing in.

A black mass flashed in front of him and into a group of zombies closest to the door knocking them to the ground. Taking the chance Ryan jumped over them and the broken glass and ran out into the parking lot. Looking back he saw the zombies beginning to file out after him.

The RV was pulling into the far side of the parking lot. "Ryan we see you hang tight." Stephen called.

Ryan started walking forward across the parking lot when Katie said something "Ryan did you know you have a dog following you?"

Ryan turned around and sure enough a large black dog was following him at a safe difference. The zombies were only a few feet away and the dog shot a nervous glance behind him and barked at Ryan. Ryan laughed and jogged a few steps forward and the dog followed.

Katie was standing on top of the RV with a rifle and was picking off the zombies and watched them fall onto the pavement. "Come on boy." Ryan opened the RV door and threw the food out of the cart into the vehicle then waited for the dog to jump in. "Its ok buddy hop in."

The dog stood still and looked at the RV curiously then looked back at the zombies with its tail between his legs. "Ryan please just get in before more show up." Karen appeared at the door.

"We can't leave him behind. Get it boy." Ryan gestured to the open door. The dog timidly jumped forward into the RV and Ryan climbed in after shutting the door. "Good boy."

"How are we going to take care of a dog?" Karen watched the dog carefully as it sniffed around keeping its distance from everybody.

Katie climbed back in behind Ryan. "Zombies don't go after dogs do they then?" The RV lurched forward as Stephen began pulling out hitting a few zombies on the way.

"He's probably starving. Let's get him some food." Ryan walked over to the pile of food they had collected.

"Ryan we can't afford to spare any of food." Stephen shouted back from the front.

"You just keep you eyes on the road Steve no one asked you!" Ryan barked.

"Ryan I think Stephen's right I mean who knows when we'll be able to stop again?" Karen voiced not taking her eyes off the dog.

"What? You just want to let him starve to death? He saved my life." Ryan stood in front of the dog who had now collapsed lazily on the ground.

"Oh God Ryan I wouldn't be so sure of that." Katie took a step back from Ryan and clutched Karen's forearm.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan questioned. Katie pointed at a rip in his bloodstained jeans. Upon further examination he notices a small cut in his skin, the blood around it starting to dry. "It must have happened when I was running out. God I didn't feel anything."

"No, no, no…" Karen's eyes began to water up as she looked at Ryan then back down to his leg.

"Stephen stop we need you to come back here right now." Katie called not taking her eyes off Ryan. The RV rolled to a steady stop and Stephen cut off the engine.

"What is it?" He asked. Looking between the girls and Ryan he seemed to understand. "Oh shit. Let's see it then."

Ryan pulled his pant leg up and propped it up on the table for Stephen to look at. "It's small, if it is a bite you won't know it for at least a few hours."

"Well that's a relief I have a few more hours of life to live."

"Ryan this is serious." Katie pointed out.

"You don't think I know that? I'm going to turn into a freaking flesh eating zombie!"

"Let's stop for the night. Ryan should stay in the back and me and Katie will take turns watching him in case-"

"Why so you can blow his head off?!" Karen almost shouted startling everyone even the dog who whined a bit.

"Karen I-" Katie took a step forward.

"Please he's all I have left."

"Hey guys could you leave us alone for a second." Ryan said quietly to Katie and Stephen.

"I don't know if we should what if you turn?" Stephen answered timidly.

"Come on Stephen we can look for a place to hide the RV." Katie pulled Stephen back to the front. "They'll be alright."

When nightfall came Stephen took the first watch with Ryan who was starting to look a little pale. Katie stayed in the front seats with Karen who was sobbing quietly next to her. Katie sat up praying "Please don't let the gun go off. Please don't let the gun go off." over and over again in her head.

Outside everything was still. Katie thought she saw a light somewhere far off in the distance but it disappeared almost as soon as showed up. Karen was beginning to calm down and was only breathing heavily now. Any moment she would drift into an uneasy sleep.

"Katie?" Stephen called hoarsely. "It's your turn."

Katie stood and put a hand on Karen. "How is he doing?" she whispered.

"It's hard to tell he's really pale and he's sweating a lot."

"Alright, stay with Karen and watch out down the way I thought I saw something earlier." Katie brushed past Stephen towards Ryan's room.

"Be careful Katie. It might happen anytime now."

"Hey, it's just Ryan right?" Katie glanced back with a downward gaze.

Stephen sat down and covered his face with his hands and for the first time since the out break he cried.

"Hey Katie your turn then eh?" Ryan greeting her as she closed the door.

"Yeah, why'd you have to go and get bitten I could be sleeping right now." Katie joked and sat beside him.

"Oh well sorry I didn't know I was causing so much trouble." He laughed. Katie laid her gun across her lap gently. Ryan noticed and stopped laughing. "It's ok I understand." He said quietly when he saw the apologetic look on her face.

The room was dark but Katie could see the beads of sweat on Ryan's face glistening. "What are me and Stephen going to do without you?" Katie asked after a long moment of silence.

"Hey now we talked about this before. If one of us should kick the bucket the other two just have to keep on keeping on. We've been together a long time. A lot longer then most. We have to consider ourselves lucky." Ryan shifted in the bed a little to see Katie better.

Katie smiled and looked away "Remember when they tried splitting us up?"

"After Matt and Jen died? Yeah I remember they were going to put us in separate units with a bunch of rookies."

"You wouldn't fight in the cage again until we were our own team."

"You and Stephen mean a lot to me. You two and Karen are the only family I have. I sure don't act like it but it's true. It was hell leaving the fort without you guys."

"Ryan, what happened back at the fort?"

Ryan swallowed and stared at the ceiling for the longest time before starting again. "I heard people screaming and thought it was because of the match." Ryan paused. "When I walked out of the lounge and I knew something was wrong."

Katie watched Ryan intensely studying his facial movements. "Stephen and I were able to get out a window before many of them turned."

"That Stephen has a good head on his shoulders. But you're lucky to have gotten out so quickly. I was able the slip back into fighters lounge but there was no where to go in there. So I waited."

"Waited for what?"

"For the zombies for bust out. At least then I could make a break for it I had to get to Karen. I kept thinking of you and Stephen and how you guys were still in there. Anyway I didn't have to wait long."

"Stephen was trying to hold the door my leg wasn't much use at the time."

Ryan nodded. "I ran out without any problems really. My first thought was to get to the apartment complexes and warn everybody. See the zombies were heading for the guard station and over to the market so I made a break for it. A lot of people didn't believe me they said the guards would have showed up and they just slammed their doors. I got to Karen and the other girls. We needed to get to the vehicle depot but by then the zombies were everywhere."

"Karen said there were outlaws inside the fort. We drove through some when we left I think they blew down the gates."

"Yeah I saw the RV leaving I didn't know it was you guys though." Ryan went into a coughing fit and Katie waited patiently for him to finish.

"One by one all of the girls just disappeared they had all wandered off and got killed or kidnapped. Once the outlaws got in they started shooting all the zombies and loading up anyone who wasn't bit. I wanted to go help but Karen needed me. There was this little kid Katie." Ryan paused and shook his head. "He was standing in the middle of the road crying for his mom and covered in blood."

"Was he bitten?" Katie asked.

"I wasn't sure I kept calling at him to come but he just stood their crying he couldn't have been more than seven or eight. He looked just like, like David."

"Who is David, Ryan?" Katie leaned forward.

Ryan kept staring at the fixed point on the ceiling. "We, Karen and I, we had a little brother once. His name was David."

"Ryan I'm sorry I never knew."

"It's ok; he was a tough kid like his big brother. There were just too many of them." Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Katie finally. "I was able to get Karen into the jeep and then drive off just as the outlaws broke into the depot and we had ten or eleven zombies chasing but they branched out after easier targets I guess."

Katie grabbed Ryan's hand it was cold and wet. "Now don't you start crying." Ryan coughed. "I had to deal with Karen and once is enough."

"Sorry but that's what girls do when someone the love is about to kick it." Katie laughed a little Ryan joined in and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"I always thought you loved Stephen." Ryan said quietly.

"I do. I love you both and Karen too."

"Yeah I know." Ryan got quite after the and started to concentrate on his breathing as it was becoming strained. "I've been fighting it but I think it's almost time now. Take care of Davy over there."

Katie looked in the corner where the dog they found was sitting alert "Don't worry I will. You named him Davy then?"

Ryan nodded and fluttered his eyes. "I love you Katie." He sighed and dropped her hand. His eyes closed and his breathing slowed. Katie wiped her eyes and picked up her gun.


	5. Not So Welcome Stranger

Voices. They were whispering amongst themselves. "What happened?" "Is he dead?" "I think he's waking up."

"What's going on?" Ryan moaned trying to get his vision back.

"Ryan? How do you feel?" Katie was talking but he couldn't see her just blurs of color.

"Like I was hit by a train. Why can't I see?"

Something jumped on top of him and started squeezing. "Karen, give him some air!" Stephen instructed.

"It's ok." Ryan chuckled. "I don't understand. So I didn't turn?"

"This is really quite amazing. You could have a natural immunity to the virus. This could lead to a cure." Stephen starched his head.

"Or maybe it was only just a scratch. He might not have been bitten after all." Katie pointed out.

"Then why did he get so sick?" Stephen argued.

"Look who cares? The point is he's alive." Karen hugged Ryan again.

"This is serious Karen. Think about all the people we could bring back with a cure. The possibilities would be endless!" Stephen said.

"Stephen, Ryan said so himself, he didn't feel anything bite him and there was a lot of broken glass." Katie answered back. "Maybe he just has a cold."

"Then why can't I see straight?" Ryan complained. "How am I supposed to do anything?"

"You'll get your sight back." Karen put her hand on Ryan's forehead. "You do see a little warm Katie's probably right."

Ryan coughed. "I never wanted to be a medical miracle. The zombies got close but Davy made sure they didn't get to close. I can't see how one of them could've bit me."

Stephen stood there with a shocked look on his face. "What's wrong with you guys? We could have the cure right here with Ryan and all you do is shoot the idea down. Don't you want to hope for something?"

"Stephen we just don't want to get excited about something that we don't even know." Karen interjected.

"Shut up I think I heard something." Ryan held his hands up. Katie, Stephen, and Karen listened carefully. Davy sat up with a low growl. "He does that when zombies are around." Ryan started rubbing Davy's head trying to get him calm and quiet.

"I heard that." Katie said pulling out her handgun. Something was rustling outside the RV, the noise would stop and then start moving again. "You think something followed us from the supermarket?"

"They were moving to slow to have caught up with us now-" Stephen stopped to listen again. "Those are voices."

"Should someone look out the window?" Karen suggested. "Maybe it's survivors."

"Or maybe its outlaws." Ryan sat up straighter. "And I still can't see."

"Stephen did you lock the door when we stopped?" Katie asked suddenly. There was a loud click of the door opening. "That's a no." groaned Katie.

"Give me a gun." Ryan whispered.

"You can't see you'll shoot one of us." Stephen hissed back.

A mans voice and footsteps drifted back to the room. Katie and Stephen stood on either side of the curtain with their guns waiting. Stephen waved at Karen to get behind the fold out bed in case a stray bullet should go her way.

The curtain shot open and instinctively Katie grabbed at the man's hair and pulled his back into her chest then thrusted her revolver into his neck. "Nick!" the man shouted.

"Shut up!" Ryan barked from the bed.

"Matt?" The man called cautiously.

"Stay where you are!" Katie shouted back. "Drop your gun." Katie nudged the man she was holding with her knee. His gun clattered to the ground. "You too out there!" There was another sound of weapons dropping.

"Slide them in here." Stephen warned. Matching revolvers thudded at Stephens's feet. "Karen pick up the guns."

Karen inched along the wall to grab the guns not wanting to get anywhere near the man Katie was holding. He wasn't very tall and had dark hair. It was cut and his face was cleanly shaved.

"Let me see Matt!" The man behind the curtain demanded.

"How many of you are out there?" Stephen asked pushing Karen away again.

"It's just me." The man said after a slight pause.

"You're lying." Ryan growled. Davy leapt off the bed and paced in front of the curtain ducking his head around. "Davy get back over here." Ryan whispered.

"No he is telling the truth it's just us I swear!" Matt screeched before Katie tightened the gun on his neck. "Don't say a word." She warned in his ear.

"He's to clean to be an outlaw." Karen pointed out blandly.

"What?! We're not outlaws! Tell 'em Nick!" Matt screamed again.

"I said shut up!" Katie shouted kneeing the man in the back. He howled in pain causing the other man to shout back.

"Just let me see Matt and I'll explain everything!"

Katie looked at Stephen who looked at Ryan who looked at what he thought was Karen and shrugged.

"Ok we want you to come back here. Slowly and anything funny and Matt here will have his brains splattered." Katie stepped back from the curtain. Footsteps approached the curtain and then stopped. She could see the mud caked boots from underneath. "Alright come in. Keep your hands up."

A much larger man stepped into the room with his hands high above his head almost tipping the ceiling. Katie was instantly glad that he wasn't the one that come into the room first. He had graying hair and deep frown lines across his face. Stephen aimed carefully at his head.

"Christ you're just kids." The man expressed and dropped his arms.

"Keep them up!" Katie warned and pressed into Matt again. The man raised his arms again hastily.

"Alright who are you?" Ryan began questioning not quite looking at the man. Karen adjusted his head lightly.

"My name is Nick Lewis, that there is my friend Matt Hernandez. We're not outlaws we come from up the road." The man answered eyeing Katie's grip on Matt.

"What's up the road?" Katie asked taking a step back under Nick's gaze.

"Camp Lambert." Matt gasped.

"Camp Lambert? You mean like a fort?" Stephen asked.

Nick blinked. "No, Camp Lambert use to be a small town in the middle of nowhere. We were able to construct means of protection from the zombies before the outbreak reached us."

"What kind of protection?" Karen asked.

"A big ass wall!" Matt groaned as Katie had kneed him again.

"We saw some lights on the road out here and were sent to check it out." Nick continued. "You have to trust me we mean you no harm."

"We're not going to trust a complete stranger! Get off my camper!" Ryan shouted and Davy barked and jumped onto the bed with Ryan.

"Wait Ryan," Stephen held up his hand. "You say this Camp Lambert is safe?"

Nick glanced at Matt. "Depends on what you need saving from."

"What do you mean by that?" Katie demanded. "And you don't have to beat around the bush."

Nick sighed. "If you ask me is the camp safe from zombies and outlaws then I would say yes. But things happened when people get locked up together. Some start losing their minds."

"Trust us we know all about it." Stephen interjected. "Continue."

"Frankly, the place is run by a mad woman." Nick spat out. "She sent us out her to steal this RV. When Matt and I saw this death on wheels we figured some big guys would be here and might be able to help us."

"Imagine our surprise when we found a bunch of kids with guns." Matt added.

"We're not kids!" Ryan spat. Karen hushed him.

"Look we gave you our guns, can you please let my friend go and we can talk about this more rationally."

"Don't listen to him Katie." Stephen warned.

"Please we don't want to hurt you we just want to help our friends and family. We'll tell them the engine was shot and crawling with zombies. You all can keep on going." Nick looked at Katie. She tightened her grip on Matt's hair.

"What would we want with a bunch of kids anyway?" Matt groped at the hair in pain.

"Who knows? Lonely men out on the road for awhile, you might be interested in a couple of young girls." Ryan looked at Katie and Karen. Karen shuttered lightly.

"You don't understand." Nick said slowly. "We're not like that. I have a wife back at the camp and Matt, well Matt is er-"

"I'm gay alright?" Matt shrugged the best he could.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Stephen asked.

"Oh the hell with it!" Nick sighed and dropped his hands. "Let go of him right now!" he pointed a long finger at Katie.

"Put your hands back up!" Stephen shouted. Nick took a step towards Katie.

"Let him go and we'll go back to the camp. Please my family is back in that hell hole and I have to help them." He lowered his voice and looked at Katie with tired but pleading eyes.

"Katie-" Ryan ventured looking between her and Nick as his eye sight was slowly focusing.

Katie gently released Matt and pushed him forward a bit. "Thank-you." Nick offered generously as Matt rushed to his side. "Like I said, we won't tell them you are out here."

"I'm sorry." Katie said. Nick looked at her carefully. "I mean about you're family."

Nick nodded. "You should be worrying about make up and hair not my family. I'm the one that's sorry."

"NICK!" someone shouted outside the RV. The blood in Nick and Matt's faces drained leaving them pale and horror struck.

"I thought you said you were alone." Ryan said through his clenched teeth. He held Davy's mouth closed to prevent him from growling.

"Give us our guns we'll tell them it's empty." Nick reached for his guns from Karen but Stephen cut him off.

"I don't think so you lied to us once."

"He wasn't lying don't you see? The work for _her_ she must have had them follow us." Matt cried.

Nick took another step towards Karen. Outside the man was shouting again. "I'm coming up there Nick, and you and the Homo better not be dead!"

"If they find you they'll take you to the camp!" Nick whispered fiercely. "Give us the guns we can't go out there without them. They'll know something is up!"

"Stephen give him the guns." Katie urged. "I'd trust him before this other guy." She jerked her head a little.

"Nick!" the man was on the bus now. "Are you in the back? You better answer me Nancy boy!"

Karen pushed pass Stephen and thrust the guns into Nick's arms. "Karen no!" Ryan whispered.

Just as the guns exchanged hands the curtain drew back. "What in the hell is going on here?!" The man looked like a toad. He was short and stocky with a receding hairline and folds of skin covering his face. "Put down your weapons!" he held up a shot gun. "Ralph get in here!"

"Dan they're just kids let them go." Nick pleaded. Another man walked up behind Dan looking oddly alike to him.

"Tell them kids to drop those weapons if you love them so much." Dan growled pointed his shotgun at an unarmed Karen.

"You'll be dead before you pull the trigger." Katie hissed pointing her gun at him. The other man had his revolver trained on Katie.

"I wouldn't be so sure...little girl." He smirked. Stephen moved to stand in front of Karen.

"Now I said drop them!" toad man shouted loudly. Katie stood unmoving. Stephen had dropped his gun when Karen pushed the guns across him.

"You've got to three." The man's voice was coming from the back of his neck it seemed.

"Don't do it." Katie warned shooting a look at Ryan.

"1." Dan hissed.

"You'll be dead!" Katie tried again.

"2."

"Katie-" Karen sobbed.

"3!"

Katie threw her gun at the man he ducked and laughed out loud. Katie glared at him and spat in his direction. "Oh you are a feisty one huh?" Ralph laughed.

"Ralph you keep an eye on them." Dan kicked all the firearms out of reach. "I'll drive this heap back. Not one of them moves. Understand?"

"Not a problem bro." Ralph laughed and pushed Stephen and Karen into the corner beside Ryan.

"Hey!" Nick went to help.

"I wouldn't Nick. A grown man's got a family to protect, you know." Ralph smirked. "Now sit down, all of you!" he barked.

"Ryan can you see now?" Katie asked still glaring at Ralph.

"You're damn right I can." Ryan answered also glaring at Ralph.

"That's enough shut up!"

The RV lurched forward. Dan didn't know how to drive the machine and it was painfully obvious to all in the back. "What is he a student driver?" Katie joked.

"You'll learn your place soon enough." Ralph continued to grin.

"You touch her you die." Ryan growled. "And it will be in the most painful way I can think possible."

"You think a bunch of teenagers can intimidate me?" Ralph laughed. "You're in for some real hell."

"And living out here is a cake-walk?" Stephen snorted. "We haven't been locked in some city the whole time."

"Oh just you wait. You haven't met Mother yet." Ralph smiled widely exposing crooked yellow teeth.


	6. Mommy Dearest

"_Emma! Emma stop playing around I got it! It came in!" Katie jumped over the stadium railing and onto the soccer field._

_The tall blonde girl shot one last ball into the net and then ran over to Katie. "Have you opened it yet?"_

"_No I just got it then ran over here as fast as I could." Katie was a little out of breath. She was holding a white envelope in her shaking hands._

"_Well open it girl! Don't keep me waiting!"_

"_Okay here it goes." Katie sighed and began to rip the seal of the envelope carefully. Emma looked over her shoulder hopefully as she pulled a single piece of paper out._

"_Dear Katherine Ashburton," Katie read out loud. "We are pleased to announce the acceptance of your scholarship application!" Katie shouted the last part and jumped into Emma's arms._

"_See I told you, you had nothing to worry about!" Emma laughed as she lost balance and toppled over sending the two girls sprawling on the ground. "Coach is going to be so proud!"_

_Katie laid on the ground looking at the piece of paper in a daze. "I get to go to college! I get to play for a college!"_

"_Hey Katie…" Emma sat up suddenly beside her. _

"_What is it?" Katie was smiling not looking away from the paper afraid it would disappear if she took her eyes away from it. _

"_There is a guy up there watching us." Emma pointed to the top of the stadium. At the very top of the bleachers there was a figure swaying back and forth._

"_Ew what a pervert!" Katie finally looked up at the man. Emma stood up and shouted "Hey! We see you up there! Go ahead and leave or we'll call the cops!"_

_The man just kept swaying back and forth only his arms started reaching out in the girls' direction. He then tore down the concrete steps on his way to the field. Katie and Emma watched in horror as the man continued forward. About halfway down he tripped and rolled down the rest of the way violently. When he reached the bottom he stood up, blood –soaked and growled loudly._

_Emma gripped Katie's hand and pulled her backwards. "What the hell is that?"_

_The thing climbed over the railing clumsily and fell onto the pitch. "Come on lets get out of here!!" _

"Hey! Keep moving!" Ralph pushed Katie out of the RV. The gravel cut her hands as she tried to catch herself. "Get up you!" Ralph yanked her onto her feet. They had all been taken out of the RV and inside the town. Davy had managed to slink under the bed before he could be noticed.

"Leave her alone!" Stephen shouted.

"It's okay Stephen. It didn't hurt that bad." Katie smirked at Ralph.

"I'll make it hurt!" Ralph growled and raised his hand to hit her.

"Ralph!" Dan came off the RV. "Take Matt and Nick back to work. I'll take these sorry mugs to Mother."

Ralph smiled. "Now you're in for it." He whispered in Katie's ear. Katie turned away from him in disgust.

Ralph left with Matt and Nick. Nick cast a look back and them before Ralph yelled something at him. Karen grabbed Katie's hand and walked forward following closely behind Ryan and Stephen.

"Nice place you got here." Stephen said smugly. Matt wasn't kidding the wall surrounding he place was huge and topped with barbwire. Other than the wall it seemed like a normal small town. There was a post office, not that it was in much use, houses with American flags hanging out, a park with a large section donated to a garden, and many other buildings including apartments and even a library.

A few people looked out their windows and some stood out on their porch as Dan led them down the street. "What you need to kidnap damn kids now Dan?" One of the men shouted.

"You shut your mouth!" Dan shouted back.

The group turned the corner and came across a half-built house larger than another they had seen. A couple men walked up to Dan. "What do you got here?" One of them asked eyeing Ryan and Stephen.

"Outsiders, they are here to see Mother. Go tell her we're here." Dan answered. Both of the men turned and jogged up the steps to the house. Karen watched some of the men on the roof moving planks around. One of the men stopped and looked back at her sadly before he reached for a hammer.

"Alright Dan, send them up!" The man was shouting and waving out a window on the completed side of the house.

"Start moving." Dan gruffed digging his pistol into Ryan's back. "No foul language in front of Mother. No sudden movements in front of Mother." Dan rambled on as the climbed the stairs. "No speaking in front of Mother unless Mother addresses you."

They stopped at the end of a long hallway and a wooden door. "Any of you fuck up and I'll shoot you myself." He whispered and pushed the door open.

There was an old lady sitting in a chair with two men standing beside her when they entered. "Dan I'm so happy you made it back safely. And look how you've saved these lost souls." She croaked taking a sip of something out of a plastic tea cup. "Please let me introduce myself." She smoothed her dress and stood up. "You may address me as Mother." She held out her hand to Katie.

Katie looked from the ladies hand to her face then over to Ryan. "Are you people serious?" she asked rather bluntly.

Dan brought his pistol down on Katie's temple. The sudden blow knocked her to the ground and all she could see was a searing white light.

"You son of a bitch!" Ryan jumped towards Dan and got a few hits in before the two men rushed forward and took turns delivering punishing blows to his stomach. He fell on the floor next to Katie. Karen whimpered and started to reach for Katie and Ryan but Stephen pulled her back, watching the three men.

"It's quite alright Dan. They are new. They don't know the rules yet. They will learn soon enough." Mother spoke in a dignified voice. She bent over and touched Katie's hair. "Poor child" Her touch sent shivers down her spine.

"Don't," Ryan gasped for breath "Touch her." Dan kicked at Ryan's ribs. "Not another word out of you son!"

"Look, we don't want any harm. We were heading up north. Where there aren't any zombies. We can send help back here." Stephen reasoned.

Mother stood and began laughing everyone else was silent until she calmed down. "We don't require any help here in Lambert. We are perfectly safe without outside interference."

"You don't understand. It's not just mindless zombies out there! There are outlaws and we have reason to believe they have explosives!" Stephen pressed on pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"They blew up a fort they can blow up your walls!" Karen added.

"Enough!" Mother almost shouted raising her voice for the first time. "Enough." She said again more quietly looking down at Katie who had inched over to Ryan on the floor.

"Dan." Mother said smiling as she watched Ryan grab a hold of Katie's hand.

"Yes Mother?"

"Take the children to foster homes and assign them their jobs." She walked back to her chair.

"Anything you want Mother." Dan turned and the two men lifted Katie and Ryan to their feet roughly.

"Oh, and Dan dear?" Mother cast a look behind her. "Make sure they are spilt up. No communication."

Dan grinned. "Very well."

Four men accompanied Dan this time. Stephen was dropped off first. "You!" Dan had pointed his sausage finger at Stephen. "You're to stay with the Wilsons. You're to work with the harvesters."

Steven was pushed forward to the house. A young couple in their early thirties stepped out onto the porch of their home. Stephen hugged Katie and went to shake Ryan's hand. "Enough of that then!" Dan had shouted and kicked Stephen's leg. Stephen limped forward.

As they group left Stephen behind Katie could hear the couple talking quietly to Stephen and a tear slid down her face. She went to wipe it away but when she looked at her hand it was covered in blood. She groaned but kept walking.

Ryan was next. "Mr. Derrick Fallon for you." Dan hissed. It was an apartment complex and a man was looking out his window wearing an old army helmet. "You're a wall worker."

Karen was crying as Ryan started stumbling forward. He turned around and looked at Katie and Karen. "Don't worry about it. We'll be fine." He glared and Dan and spit in the dirt before turning back and walking into the building.

Katie was trying her best to keep pressure on her head but the blood was soaking between her fingers. Karen had stiffened up but continued walking look straight ahead as if she was in a daze. The next house was well kept and even had a small rose bush in the front. An elderly couple were talking quietly in the front yard when they approached.

The old man looked up and Dan with a scowl. "What is it? We already payed our taxes this week."

"This has nothing to do with your taxes. But you know sometimes supplies can get lost along the way. If you get what I mean."

The woman put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Calm down Jim. If this isn't about taxes then what can we help you with? Good Lord what have you done to this girl?!" She cried reaching out to Katie.

Dan stepped in the way. "That's none of you concern Mrs. Goodman. This one is your problem." Dan pulled Karen forward. She whimpered when he touched her.

Mrs. Goodman pulled Karen into her protectively. "You should be ashamed they are only girls." She patted Karen's hair.

"Funny, I'm not ashamed. Are you ashamed boys?" Dan asked the other men who all just laughed and shook their heads. Dan looked back at the Goodman's and shrugged. "She's to be a cook for Mother."

"She needs a doctor." Mr. Goodman growled nodding toward Katie. "She's bleeding." Dan just continued laughing and walked away with Katie following behind numbly.

"Does it hurt?" Dan mocked. "To see all your little friends going their separate ways. Please do tell me, or maybe your head is hurting to much to feel anything." The others started laughing again. Katie shook her head and fought back tears.

"Ah, here we are. The Lewis household."

Katie looked at the small greenish house. A small boy around seven or eight was doing somersaults in the dirt totally oblivious to the group of men standing on the cracked sidewalk watching him.

"Hey kid!" Dan shouted.

The boy flopped onto his back sending a cloud of dirt into the air. "Want do ya want?" he asked slightly annoyed that his game was interrupted.

"Go get your mother kid." Dan walked up the walkway.

"MOMMY! SOME MAN IS HERE!" the boy shouted without moving.

"Bradley what did I tell you about shouting?" A woman appeared at the screen door. "Dan. I thought I smelt you."

Katie stifled a laugh. Dan growled "Welcome your new family member. She's going to be a water buffalo."

The woman opened the door and walked up to Katie. "You make me sick Dan." She looked at the other men "All of you do. Brad honey, why don't you take this girl inside and show her your toys?"

"Ew mommy she's bleeding." Bradley complained.

"It's okay." Katie said quietly. "I won't get it on any of your toys."

"You can come see my toys but they are all old. My daddy says he'll get me more newer toys someday. Except I've been waiting for a real long time. He says someday I'll be a big boy and won't want to play with toys." He rambled.

"Brad, sweetie, go inside ok?" Mrs. Lewis gently nudged her son. She nodded at Katie then turned back to argue with Dan more.

Katie allowed herself to be pulled into the house by the small boy. "Do ya wanna see my race cars?" he pulled on her pant legs.

"Er, sure? Your name's Brad right?" Katie asked.

"Uh huh what's yours?"

"Katie. My name's Katie."

The little boy nodded and ran over to a wooden box. He lifted the lid and pulled out a brightly colored hot wheels car. "This one goes really fast!"

Katie nodded. "It's really nice."

"Are you my sister?" He asked sitting down on the floor.

"Um, no." Katie answered puzzled.

"Then why is that man making you live here with my mommy and daddy?"

"I don't really know Brad."

"Where are your mommy and daddy?" He asked looking up at her.

"Oh," Katie's eyes filled with tears again. "I don't know that either."

"But-"

"Brad that's enough." Mrs. Lewis came into the room. "Come with me and we'll try to get you cleaned up. My husband should be home soon." She said to Katie.

"Nick right?" Katie asked standing up.

"Excuse me?" she asked as she pulled out a first aid kit from under the sink.

"Your husband. His name is Nick right?" Katie allowed her to dab at the cut in her head.

"Oh? You know him?"

"Yeah, he's a friend."


	7. Explainations

**A/N: I guess I should make this clear. Katie and Stephen are nineteen. In the flashback she was getting a scholarship for college putting her at seventeen. This means the zombies have been around for about two years. Ryan is the oldest at twenty and Karen is the youngest at sixteen. Sorry for confusion. Oh and thanks for the reviews.**

Ryan sat on the plastic covered couch staring at Derrick Fallon with his eyebrows cocked and his mouth ajar.

"We're not going to let them get us! No sir. You take my word down. Wait no don't take anything down they might find it. Write it in your brain." Derrick gestured to his head. "All we have to do is get the Nazis out. All of them I say. But there are too many of them. Way too many! We need a plan." Derrick looked at Ryan. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Oh yeah, the Nazis have to go." Ryan agreed shaking his head afraid that the man would come closer.

"They don't fool you either huh? Smart lad we can work together." Derrick patted his army helmet making it clink loudly. "You have to get something to protect your head. So they can't read your mind."

"It's okay, I had a uh special chip inserted in my brain so they can't look into my head. You know when I was a baby." Ryan nodded and tried to play along.

"Do you think I'm stupid? There ain't no such thing as a anti-mind reading chip. You've been reading too many tabloids boy."

Ryan raised his eyebrows and starched the back of his head. There was a faint noise outside the building.

"Watch out it's those darn hooligans again! Man your battle stations!" Derrick flung himself on the floor and army crawled to the door. Ryan looked at him oddly. "I said get down boy! I'm going to open the hatch!"

Ryan nodded and slowly got down on his hands and knees. Derrick opened the door and shouted "You'll never take me alive!"

"Davy!" Ryan shouted as the large dog bounded over Derrick and into Ryan's arms. "Watch it he could be a spy." Derrick closed the door and peered out the window suspiciously.

"It's good to see you again boy." Ryan smiled rubbing Davy's ears and ignoring Derricks' protests.

"What's a harvester?" Stephen asked Lilly Wilson. The blonde woman was handing him a bowl of some kind of soup with a frown on her face.

"My husband and I are harvesters. We go out into the park and collect any grown vegetables or fruit." She answered sitting down next to him on the couch.

"Seems easy enough." Stephen played with his spoon.

"Yes well you'd expect that. But with the overseers watching over your shoulder the whole time it makes things complicated. Plus you have to ship all the products to Mother so she can 'divide equally'." Dalton Wilson walked into the room rolling up his sleeves. Stephen acknowledged his presence with another question.

"I don't understand. The outbreak happened so fast how did you all manage to survive much less construct an entire fortress?"

"Lambert use to be a military base for some sort of secret investigations. When the base was retired they allowed civilians to move in. The walls were already built around the town." Dalton walked over to the window. "Luckily we had some construction workers building some new housing developments and we could add to it and even build a gate."

"But how did you know to lock the gates and prepare? I mean it happened so suddenly it's hard to believe that none got in."

"Well, that's a funny question. I don't know if you've noticed but we're pretty far off the highway. We saw everything on TV before all the stations cut out but when we heard about the president being transported to Canada we knew it was serious."

"The president is alive?" Stephen was astonished. The radios at the fort weren't powerful enough to reach the outside world much it was only makeshift.

"Oh yeah you can bet they'd save him. I wanted to go up north too but with big cities it would be too dangerous." Dalton walked back over to the couch and held Lilly's hand. "Now we're stuck here."

"I don't get it. I've been here less than twelve hours and I can see that everyone hates this mother person!" Katie winced as Nick's wife tightened her bandage. "Why can't there be a rebellion? You outnumber her and her goons it should be easy."

"Like you said you haven't been here much you have no idea what you're talking about." Mrs. Lewis cut the excess bandage that was dangling in front of Katie's eye.

"Where is Nick at?" Katie asked as she jumped off the kitchen counter.

"He is out on the wall working. He'll be home soon but how do you know him. You just got here and he's been at work the whole time."

"He was the one that found me and my friends outside. Him and another guy, Matt I think was his name."

"He went outside the walls?" Mrs. Lewis looked shocked. "I bet _she_ sent him out there."

"Mommy! Mommy! Daddy is coming!!" Brad started screaming. The screen door creaked open. Mrs. Lewis left the kitchen and walked into the living area.

"Brad stop screaming you're going to lose your voice." She chided. Katie stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Nick kiss his wife and lift his son onto his shoulders.

"Brad loosing his voice? That's not a bad idea!" He laughed bouncing up and down sending Brad into a fit of giggles. Smiling Nick turned to see Katie standing there.

"Holy hell! What are you doing here?" Nick set Bradley down.

"That woman put her here. She says she knows you." Mrs. Lewis picked up a complaining Brad.

"Yeah, we've met before. Where are the rest?" He asked. Katie shrugged "With some other families. I don't really know."

"Well that's good. At least they are safe in homes." Nick sighed. "Kim, take Brad to bed. I need to talk with this young lady."

His wife nodded and walked out with Brad singing a song to him as she went down the hallway. Katie stood still and studied Nick. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions." He motioned to take a seat in one of the recliners.

"And I assume you've already been acquainted with you know who." Nick sat across the room from her gesturing to the bandage on her head.

"I don't understand. Why is this Mother lady in charge? Couldn't you just, I don't know.."

"Kill her?" Nick finished for her.

"Well maybe nothing that drastic but at least kick her out. She doesn't deserve to be in power."

"You should know the whole story behind this development. Mother use to be Maggie Cloverson, a widow with two sons."

"Dan and Ralph?" Katie's eyes widened in realization.

"Exactly. Now before this whole, arrangement, Maggie lived outside the town but her boys would be here every night causing trouble and vandalizing anything they could get their chubby little hands on. When we heard about what was happening out there we sent someone to get them and bring them to safety."

"Bet you regret that now."

Nick ignored her comment and continued on. "A lot of people still didn't believe what was really happing. Maggie managed to convince these people she was some sort of messiah sent to help them. After all she was, oh how did she put this 'The only soul who survived outside the camp' and 'The only one with the knowledge of the unknown' which is a load of crap I know for a fact there are plenty of people out there."

"I saw the police station when we came in. How can they believe no one else is out there they must have radios!"

"Oh you bet we have radios. I use to operate them but I got caught sending out our location. Now no one is allowed on the radios except for Mother's staff and they don't want anyone to know where we are."

"Because then she would lose control."

"You got it." Nick nodded.

"But still, with how can she remain in control when everyone except for a few followers hates her?"

"For starters the only people here with any type of firearm are on her staff."

"How is that possible when I know for a fact you and Matt had guns."

"I'm a very important person to Mother though she won't admit it. She would risk giving me a gun if it would mean I would come home safe."

"Why are you so important? I mean, no offense." Katie blushed a little.

Nick laughed. "It's okay. I use to be the police chief. I hold a lot of respect with the people in this town. They don't revolt because I don't. They do what they are told because I do what I'm told."

Katie frurrowed her eyebrows, "So why don't you revolt then?"

Nick leaned back in his chair and went quiet for awhile. Kim's singing drifted into the room making Katie a little sleepy. "It's them. They're the reason why." Nick said quietly looking down the hallway.

"I understand. But wouldn't it be better for them with her gone?" Katie sat up and leaned towards Nick.

"I can't afford to lose them." Nick shook his head.

"Is that really how you feel? Or are you just afraid?"

Nick looked her dead in the eye. "Of course I'm afraid. I'm terrified and you'd be lying if you said you weren't."

Katie avoided his gaze and sat back into the chair. "Sometimes you have to just be afraid. Sometimes you just have to get over it and do what's right."

"This coming from a kid."

"Why does everyone keep calling me a kid? I think I've proved myself an adult when I survived out there. I may be young but I'm not stupid."

"Please, um"

"It's Katie."

"Okay please Katie, I never said you were stupid." Nick sighed. "It's just more complicated than I think you understand."

"How is it complicated?! You said yourself everyone in town respects you and they'll fight back if you do!"

"And I told you I won't risk my family." Nick was trying to reason but Katie was slowly loosing her temper.

"And what's going to happen when someone or something realizes this town exists? Nick do you really think that this Mother person has any type of leadership experience? At the fort we had military leaders here you have trailer trash leading an entire society." Katie pointed out.

"You talk like it would be so easy. Do you even think about how many people will get hurt or killed? We've already had people that disobey just disappear. There has to be a plan, a structure."

"So make a plan! You must be good at that." Katie urged.

"I work on the wall how am I supposed to do anything without someone looking over my shoulder?" Nick paused. "If I could kick this woman out I would." He added quietly.

Katie thought for a moment. "Stephen." She said suddenly.

"I'm sorry who?" Nick asked raising his head from his hands.

"Stephen, he was on the RV with me. Tall blonde boy? Anyway if someone can get a message to him I'm sure he can figure something out. He would always make our venture plans this can't be much different."

"I think I know who you are talking about. But what on earth is a venture plan?" Nick questioned.

"It was basically the organization of going out into Dead World. I mean you can't just run out there guns blazing you have to make plans. Plans if you're outnumbered, plans if you run out of ammo, and well plans if one of you dies."

Nick looked at her funny. "I don't know. Seems awfully different plus it's been this way since the beginning what makes you or anyone think that just because you all show up everything is going to change? You say you're an adult but you act a lot like a teenager when you think you can change the world with a wave of your hand."

Katie sighed and tipped her head back. "I just don't want to go on without seeing Ryan or Stephen. Karen must be so alone."

"I understand how you feel." Nick rubbed the back of his neck.

"No you don't." Katie almost half-laughed. "You have your family with you at least. I don't even have that."

Nick nodded and looked at the carpet. "Why don't you sleep out on the couch tonight and we'll work out some better arrangements tomorrow. I think we've both had a long day."

Katie nodded absently as Nick stood up. When he left the room she didn't even look at him she just continued staring at the fixed point of the shabby carpet. After she let a few tears drop she wiped her eyes and stretched out thinking and falling asleep to Kim's lullabies.


	8. This Really Sucks

"Katie," Nick gently shook the sleeping girl. "Katie, time to get up, we have to work."

Katie groaned and sat up weakly. "What?"

"My wife told me you're to be a water buffalo. I can drop you off on the way to the wall but you need to get up."

"What in the hell? What's a water buffalo I totally forgot about that." Katie rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to adjust them to the light.

"You're a water runner. Basically you're going to be taking water and meals to other workers."

"That's it?" Katie asked astonished.

"That's it." Nick confirmed.

"Why can't I work on the wall? Or do something more useful?" Katie questioned swinging her feet onto the floor. "I think I have the experience."

"Girls aren't allowed to be on the wall. I didn't come up with that!" He assured her as she threw him a dirty look. "Now look I know you think your talent is being wasted here but think about it. This could work to our advantage."

"Advantage?"

"Yes don't you see? You have access to every working person in this camp." Nick pointed out.

"I can get word to Stephen!" Katie almost shouted. Kim hushed her as she passed by with Brad into the kitchen.

"Maybe not directly but yes I believe so." Nick glanced at his wife who was busy making breakfast for their son. "Let's talk about this on the way. I'm sure my wife has some clothes you could borrow for today."

Ryan sat down on the ledge of the wall looking down with a half eaten apple in his hand. Davy paced in front of him quietly occasionally pausing to allow Ryan to feed him some apple.

"Look Davy, it's the same on the outside as it is on the inside!" Ryan joked. "Grey, grey, wait look some green! Oh nope never mind just more grey."

Davy barked in agreement and wagged his tail enthusiastically. "Yo man better shut that dog up."

Ryan turned his head and stood up. "He might get taken up and cooked." A man only a few years older than Ryan stood there with his hands on his hips. He had dark brown hair that was dirty and covered more than half his face.

Ryan frowned and reached down to hold Davy by his neck. "They took my guns, they took my food, they took friends, if they come for my dog I'll kill them all myself."

The man laughed loudly. "I like you kid! The name is Tony." Tony thrusted his dirty hand into Ryan's face. Ryan looked at it with raised eyebrows.

"You shake it." Tony gestured with his other hand.

"I know what you do with it." Ryan growled.

"Hey man chill out I'm not one of those MLFs. I'm one of the good guys." Tony jerked his head trying to get the hair out of his eyes.

"What is a MLF?" Ryan questioned.

"MLF stands for Mother Loving Freak. It's because the lady who runs this place wants everyone to call her mother. It's like a cult man…"

"Yeah I know." Ryan eyed Tony more suspiciously.

"Anyway, my buddy Nick told me I'm suppose to help you out. Show you around!" Tony opened his arms wide.

"You two! Get back to work now!" Dan pointed from a few yards away.

Tony snapped to attention and saluted sloppily. "Sir yes Sir! Back to work sir! You don't have to worry about a thing sir!"

"Tony I don't want to deal with your shit today!" Dan barked.

"Sir I don't have any shit yet come back after lunch sir!"

Ryan opened his eyes wide and look at Tony in shock. Dan started walking towards them pulling out his gun. "I warned you!"

"Oh no!" Tony sounded mockingly afraid. "Cheese it!"

Ryan watched in awe as Tony turned on a heel and tore off down the wall. Dan started running but wasn't even getting close. 'Why isn't he shooting him?' Ryan wondered as he watched Tony spin around and run back passed a stunned Dan.

"Didn't you hear me?" Tony started jogging in place in front of Ryan. "I said cheese it!" Then he ran off again the other way followed by Dan who was slowing down and breathing heavily.

Ryan almost started laughing when Tony once again turned around and ran passed Dan again stopping in front of Ryan. "Let's go I'm not going to do this all day!"

Dan was bending over and shouting at Tony in between gasps for air. Ryan shrugged and went after Tony as he ran down the wall. Davy nipped at his heels. They ran by some other men on the wall who just shook their head and laughed to themselves.

"Where are we going?" Ryan tried his best to keep up with Tony.

"I don't know." Tony suddenly stopped running as quickly as he had started. "I forgot what I was going to do."

"Um you said something about Nick?" Ryan guessed.

"Oh yeah of course! Nick wants me to show you around."

"Yeah you already told me that." Ryan pointed out. "What's there to know anyway?"

"Well there are lots of stuff to know." Tony turned and started walking away from Ryan. Ryan jogged to catch up.

"Okay, like what?"

"Like what?" Tony stopped and looked at Ryan puzzled.

"What do I need to know?" Ryan groaned.

"Oh yeah! Ha I almost forgot to tell you!"

Ryan frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Oh yeah I'm just dandy. Now let's see what do you need to know…" Tony trailed off. "For starters never be late. If you're late, you're dead got it?"

"What they are going to shoot you because you're late?"

"Of course not but they make hell for everyone else up here until everyone shows up. Sometimes it can get pretty bloody. My mate Roger got shot in the foot once he works with the construction crew now." Tony scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Also if you get caught with a firearm or anything that can be used as a weapon you spend a week on outside duty."

"What is the point of us being up here if we don't have weapons? How can we possibly protect anyone?" Ryan glanced around.

"We're not really up here to protect anyone. Of course we are to alert the MLF's if we see anything but it's more of a way to keep everyone apart because if we were all together they'd have problems controlling us."

"That doesn't make any sense." Ryan turned away towards the noise coming from the construction site. "This sucks."

"Welcome to Lambert kid. Now come on I'll take you on your rounds."

"I can't help feeling this is below my intelligence level." Stephen sighed as he threw another handful of seeds in the dirt. He was walking slowly up and down the rows of dirt mounds tossing seeds in random holes.

"Do you ever shut up?" A girl with strawberry blonde hair complained loudly from the next row. Stephen ignored her and threw some more seeds down.

"You know this system is completely flawed. You could be growing much more efficiently if you just made some small adjustments."

"Who _cares_? Just be quiet or we'll all get in trouble!"

"Hey I'm just saying!" Stephen responded defensively.

"Mrs. Wilson!" The girl whined.

Lilly walked by Stephen hurriedly. "Stephen just do your work before they notice." She had whispered quietly and moved on to pulling out some vegetables.

Stephen threw a sideways glance at the girl next to him. She rolled her eyes and kept working.

"You girl!" A man shouted a couple of vegetation lanes down. The girl next to Stephen looked up. "Y-yes?"

"What are you doing there girl?" The man stomped across the lanes carelessly towards her.

"I-I'm working sir. I'm just working." She replied weakly.

"Empty your pockets little worker girl." The man snided. He was standing in front of her looking down. He had whip and it was hanging limply in his right hand. The girl remained still. Stephen stopped planting to watch but everyone else continued working.

"I said. Empty your pockets!" The man snarled and spit in her face. The girl began to cry but still remained rooted.

"Fine I'll do it for you!" The man lunged at her ripping out her pockets, His raid was a success as a few carrots slipped out along with an apple and an onion. "Aha! You little thief!" The man cracked his whip in the dirt.

"Please my mom, she's sick! She can't work and Mother hasn't been giving us enough food." The girl tried stepping back but the man grabbed her by the wrist.

"Mother gives you all you will ever need. And as for you mom, well if she can't work she is no use to this community!" The man pushed her down in the dirt.

"No, please I didn't mean to!" she wailed as she tried to climb to her feet on her hands and knees. The man's whip cracked again this time it was because it had come into contact with soft human flesh. The girl cried out in pain. Another lash came down and then another.

Stephen stood behind the man a row over watching the scene play out horrified. "Stop please!" The girl sobbed as she tried to crawl away but the man and his whip stayed behind her.

Stephen looked around. No one looked up to watch the beating but mean winced every time the whip cracked.

"Stop." Stephen breathed at first almost inaudible to even himself. _Crack!_ "Stop." Stephen said a little louder. The people around him started looking at him funny."

The blood was seeping through the back of the girl's shirt.

_CRACK!_

"Stop!" Stephen called but the man kept flinging. Everyone was now watching Stephen intently.

_CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

STOP!" Stephen finally flung himself into the back of the man.

Stephen wrestled with him on the ground. The man was much larger than Stephen but he was taken off guard and unprepared. He hit the ground with a loud thump.

Unfortunately for Stephen there were other overseers in the area who pulled him off before either of the two could sustain serious damage. As two of the overseers held Stephen the one on the ground rolled to his feet wiping his own spit off his mouth.

"You let this scrawny kid get the best of you Jim?" They laughed.

"He snuck up on me and got lucky. Let me give him a go." The man put his fists up.

"No way man these people are already behind on their work. Just keep an eye on him." The two men tossed Stephen face down into the ground and wiped their hands.

"What about the girl? I caught her stealing food." Jim pointed at the girl who was being nursed by Mrs. Wilson.

"Well, don't let her around the food. Send her up front she can get the water when it comes. We'll let Mother deal with it. Try not to get beaten up to badly again." The two snickered and walked off. Jim stepped on Stephen's fingers with his boots.

"You ever pull something like that again you son of a bitch," The man twisted his heel and dug deeper causing Stephen to shout out in pain. "And I'll break more than just your hand."

The man twisted his heel again then spun around. "Get off the ground!" He shouted at the girl. Mrs. Wilson helped her stand. "Everyone get back to work!" He shouted while grabbing the girl's elbow and pulling her along. "I said now!"

When he left Stephen sat up on his knees cradling his hand. Lilly ran over to him. "Are you ok?" she asked taking his hand.

"Yeah I don't think it's broken." Stephen hisses when Lilly gently pushed his hand down.

"Can you flex it?" Lilly asked. She glanced around making sure none of the overseers were watching. "Can you move it at all?"

"Yeah it just hurts like hell."

"I think you're right then it's not broken but it will defiantly bruise." Lilly took Stephen's good hand and pulled him up.

"Who was that girl?" Stephen tried getting the dirt off his pants.

"Her name is Rachel, her mother has multiple sclerosis. She'll be okay, she has a pretty easy job now. Hopefully the bleeding will stop, I don't think the cuts were that deep this time."

"This time?" Stephen asked.

"Well yes, this happens quite often. You should see the scars Dalton has but for now please get back to work, that could have been much worse."

"It is going to get much worse. Count on that." Stephen glared at the overseer's back and turned back to work.


	9. Screw the Guards

**Sorry this chapter is kind of short…**

Karen's hands trembled as she climbed the stairs of Mother's house. The pot she was holding clanked loudly on each step.

"I hope that is my lunch I hear?" Mother called from her room. Karen winced as she approached the door.

"Yes ma'am it is. May I come in?"

"Well of course my dear." Mother chimed. A man opened the door and looked down at Karen. She tried her best not to make eye contact. The man opened the pot and peered into it.

"Go in." The man grunted.

Karen stumbled passed him and walked slowly towards Mother's rocking chair. Mother was smiling happily and smoothing her plaid skirt.

"Now that's a good girl. I thought we would be having some problems but you are doing a fine job. Let's have a taste shall we?"

Karen nodded and pulled out a spoon. It was required for all the cooks to taste the food before giving it to Mother to make sure it wasn't poisoned. Mother watched Karen put the spoon in her mouth and swallow.

"Ah! It smells so good thank-you Karen!" Mother took the pot from Karen and began to pour her own bowl. Karen stood in front of her numbly. Mother looked at her thoughtfully.

"Is there something else my dear?"

"N-no Mother." Karen half turned away. She turned back around with her eyes carefully trained on the ground. "Actually, I was wondering about my brother? And my friends?"

Mother set her spoon down with a loud clank making Karen jump. "You don't have a brother, I'm the only family and friend you need now." Mother grinned. "You run off now and be a good girl."

Karen bit her lip and left the room.

Katie walked into the small shack full of bottled water and MREs. "I swear if I have to go back over the police station again I'm going to lose it."

"You just haven't gotten use to them yet. It's only been a few days" Said her middle-aged red head partner.

"I don't want to get use to them! It's not fair!" Katie began loading up water and food into their cart. "We shouldn't have to live like this. I don't care if it is the end of the world!"

The woman shook her head and helped with the loading. "Katie if you keep talking like that you're likely to get shot."

Katie leaned on the cart. "Tammy, I'm past the point of worrying about getting shot. Anyway where are we going next?"

"The gardens I believe." Tammy looked at a piece of paper. "You know where that is right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm starting to know where everything is." Katie pulled the cart and pushed it out. Tammy locked the shed before catching up.

"What I would do for a gun right now." They passed two guards pissing profanity into the dirt laughing like idiots.

"Keep walking." Tammy laughed pushing Katie gently.

"You know my friend was a crack shot with a rifle." Katie said as the approached the reception shack to the gardens.

The reception shacks were crudely constructed and looked much like outhouses. They were built near all major working sites to accept the food and water people like Katie and Tammy were bringing.

"Ah yes you've told me thousands of times." Tammy laughed as she walked up to the girl in the shack. "We have your delivery here."

"No that was Ryan. I'm talking about my buddy Stephen." Katie handed some water bottles to the girl. "I don't know how many times he saved my life."

The girl in the shack looked up. "Did you say Stephen?" She asked.

Katie dropped the water bottle she was holding. "Yes! Do you know him!?"

"Yeah! Well not really but we've worked together. I mean before I started working here." The girl tucked her blonde hair behind her ears. "My name's Rachel."

"Rachel could you get Stephen for me?" Katie asked eagerly.

"Katie you can't the guards are watching." Tammy said nervously handing more water over.

"Screw the guards!" Katie whispered as she bent over to pick on the water bottle she had dropped. "Please Rachel you've got to do this for me!"

"Hey! No talking over there!" A guard shouted watching them.

"I can't. We'd all get in trouble." Rachel answered between her teeth.

"Could you at least give him a note?" Katie asked.

"I said no talking!"

"Yes! Now just go before they come over here!" Rachel pleaded.

Tammy pulled Katie's arm as the walked off with the cart. "Tammy I need a piece of paper!" Katie complained pulling away.

"Whatever let's just get out of the guards' sight before you do anything."

"This is great! I can get word to Ryan through Nick and I can get word to Stephen through Rachel!" Katie punched her fist into the air. "You know what this means?"

"That you are all going to be killed I'm sure. Please stop that." Tammy stopped to watch Katie do a series of excited jumps.

"If only I could get a message to Karen she must be terrified." Katie said her face suddenly turning grave.

Tammy started walking again. "Hey wait up!" Katie shouted.

Ryan laughed. "No way!"

"Dude I am serious." Tony scratched under his chin. "It was six feet tall. Filed teeth. And it's nails were almost ten inches long!"

"Shut up man." Ryan smiled and shook his head. "Besides you shouldn't talk about your mother like that."

"Ah! Ya got me rook!" Tony threw his head back and laughed.

Dan glared at them from down the wall. "Get back to work down there!"

"Shut your mouth momma's boy!" Tony called back. Dan turned and started walking down the other direction.

Ryan swung his legs back over the wall ledge. "How in the hell do you get away with that?"

Tony turned too and stood up. "Genetics."

Ryan looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"Ryan." Nick walked up to the two men. "I need to give you something."

"Alright let's see it then." Ryan held out his hand. Nick slapped it back down instantly. "Calm down we have to wait until they aren't watching or they'll take it up."

"Well what is it?" Ryan asked shoving his hand into his pocket.

"It's a letter from Katie." Nick looked out as the sun was setting behind them. "She wants to arrange a meeting for you and the other kid but you can't let anyone see it."

Tony grinned. "Is Katie your girlfriend?"

"Yes. I mean no, I mean she's a girl and she is my friend." Ryan blushed and Tony started laughing again. "You know what? Whatever can I just have to note?" Ryan looked around. "No one is looking quick I'll put it in my pocket."

Nick sighed and handed to note over cautiously. "Don't take it out until you get home."

"Chill out I get it." Ryan shoved the note in his pocket. "Did Katie say anything else?"

"What did I say? Girlfriend!" Tony smirked.

"Shut up nobody's asking you!" Ryan growled.

"No, she didn't. Now you two do your rounds before Dan gets on you again." Nick started to walk off towards a guard who was motioning for him.

"If she's not your girlfriend, do you think I could maybe have a shot at her?" Tony raised his eyebrows seductively.

"NO!" Ryan almost shouted and started walking the opposite direction. He could feel the piece of paper in his pocket getting heavier and heavier.


	10. We need Nick

"_Katie! Where are we going?" Emma pulled against Katie's arm as they crossed the parking lot. Katie stopped to look at her. _

"_I don't know the police? Something was wrong with that guy Emma he was all bloody and gross." Katie started to cry looking back at the soccer stadium. "We just need to get out of here before he shows up again. Oh my god it's another one!" _

_Emma looked over her shoulder and saw a teenage boy staring at them a lamp post a few lanes away clashing his teeth together. He was left eye socket was empty and there was only a bloody stump where his arm should have been. _

_Katie threw up and the boy started to charge towards them like the other had done. "Come on!" Emma shouted as the two ran further into the empty parking lot. The zombie boy was gaining on them. He didn't seem to care that his legs were giving out he just kept running at an unnatural speed._

"_Katie the tree!" Emma pointed to a large oak tree on the grassy edge of the lot. "Hurry!"_

_Katie hit the tree running and almost jumped into the first low branches before turning around to pull Emma up. The zombie slammed into the tree where Emma's foot was only seconds before. He gnawed and clawed and the bark mindlessly._

"_What the hell is going on?!" Katie screamed loudly. The zombie looked at her and roared loudly. "AHHHHHHHHH!" Katie shouted back only giving the zombie more reason to try and chew its way towards them._

"_Come on lets get higher." Emma climbed up and few more branches. "Do you have your cell phone?"_

_Katie groaned. "No, the one time I left it home." She followed Emma's path upwards. "What if there are more? What about our parents?"_

"_I'm sure our parents are fine it's us who need to worry." Emma looked down at the zombie who was starting to lose interest now that he couldn't see them. "I'm sure the police are dealing with it. We will be home before nightfall."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Oh yeah I'm positive." _

Ryan stood outside the post office just as the sun started to go down. He read Katie's letter last night and even though it said to meet in the mail room later that night he wanted to be early just in case. Ryan re-read the letter over in his mind.

_Ryan, I've missed you Stephen and Karen so much this place is hell. I talk to Nick a lot and he told me that this was the only way he could help for the time being. I understand he is scared for his family but it would be so much better for his family if this Mother person was out of the picture. I want us all to meet tomorrow night at the old post office across the street from the supply building. I'm pretty sure that's the last place anyone would check into here. I'm getting word to Stephen and hopefully he will be able to show. Please Ryan, we really need to see each other again._

_Love, _

_Katie_

She had said 'love'. No big deal she probably said the same thing to Stephen. But still she said 'love'. Ryan sighed and leaned against the wall. The wind was slowly picking up, blowing dirt across the fort. He decided to wait for them inside.

The building was dark and dusty. Ryan coughed several times and waved his hand around in front of his face in an attempt to clear the air. Well Katie was right about this being the last place anyone would look. There was a small noise behind on of the mail counters and a large rat ran behind an abandoned package. Addressed letters littered the floor around him and some of the post office boxes were open and rusting. All the windows were dusted over thickly with dead flies and months on the ledges. Ryan caught the movement of a shadow past on of them heading toward the door. He jumped behind the counter and heard the door open.

"Hello?"

"Katie?" Ryan stuck his head up.

"Oh my God Ryan!" Katie started towards him but started coughing violently.

Ryan jumped back over the counter and patted her on the back. "Sorry this place isn't exactly inhabitable."

Katie controlled the coughing and looked at Ryan smiling. "No don't worry about it! I missed you so much Ryan!" Katie hugged him tightly.

"I missed you too." Ryan replied as he hugged back warmly enjoying the way her head was nestled in his neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" Stephen stood in the doorway casually looking at the two. Much to Ryan's disappointment Katie ran to hug Stephen too leaving him standing there awkwardly.

"Didn't think you'd show up buddy." Ryan smirked.

Stephen and Katie separated and Stephen was smiling. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"All we're missing is Karen then." Ryan sat on the counter with his arms crossed.

Katie looked at the ground. "Ryan…"

"What?" Ryan asked uncrossing his arms and looking between her and Stephen.

"Karen isn't coming." Stephen sighed. "We haven't found a way to communicate with her."

"What do you mean how hard could it be?" Ryan was confused.

"It's complicated." Katie put her hand on Ryan's knee. "The only way I can talk to you is through Nick and to Stephen through a girl at the reception shack. Karen works directly with Mother, it would be almost impossible."

Ryan growled. "So she has no idea what is going on? For all she knows we are all dead! And we might as well be if you aren't going to at least try to send her something! Anything!"

Stephen stepped forward angrily. "Don't you blame Katie for this! If it wasn't for her you would be sitting with a numb ass on the wall right now!"

Ryan jumped of the counter and walked until he was face to face with Stephen. "And your job is so hard vegetable boy!" he snarled.

"Guys cut it out that's not what we are here for!" Katie pleaded.

"You have no idea what I have to go through working!" Stephen raised his voice ignoring Katie.

"I'm sure it will make a great story when we get out of this!" Ryan shouted.

"We're not going to get out of this if we don't work together." Katie pointed out. "Stop fighting for crying out loud!"

"Why did you even come if you're going to start a fight? Katie and I could have done this without you!" Stephen shouted back.

"Well if you don't like me you can just leave!"

Stephen shoved Ryan forward until he collided with the counter. Ryan screamed out and pushed Stephen back against the door harshly.

"Stop!" Katie shouted and tried to step between them. Ryan and Stephen continued to push at each other. Katie was knocked on the ground but the two didn't even notice.

"I'm tired of being in the middle of your bullshit arguments." Katie said so softly that is was a shock to see Ryan and Stephen stop and look at her. They seemed to have suddenly realized what they had done.

"Katie are you okay?" Stephen took a step towards her. Ryan stood there breathing heavily with a shameful look on his face.

Katie turned around and opened the door. The cold night air infiltrated the small room quickly. "Listen." Katie spoke over her shoulder. "We can't do anything without help. And to get help we're going to need Nick." And then she disappeared into the darkness.

The door slammed closed leaving Stephen and Ryan alone in the dark. There was a slight shuffling of feet and Ryan muttered "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Stephen sighed. "She's trying to help and all we do is fight."

"Why can't we get along around her?" Ryan asked quietly even though he already knew the answer. Stephen remained silent.

"She said Nick had to be on board for us to do anything?"

Ryan nodded. "Nick pulls a lot of weight around here. Everyone looks up to him and he is just trying to keep everyone safe."

"I think I can convince the Wilsons to help out. You should hear the things Mr. Wilson talks about when he thinks I'm asleep. These mother people are scary. They'll whip you as soon as look at you."

"I know. That's why we need to do this. I'll try to talk to Nick and maybe we can work something out. The guys on the wall have been waiting for a chance to get some revenge and I might be able to even get them to help."

"What if we do convince Nick? Then what do we do? We may outnumber them but the guards have weapons and guns. I don't want to responsible for a riot."

"I don't know about that." Ryan sighed. "This is getting to be more complicated than I thought."

"We've seen worse." Stephen pointed out.

Ryan laughed lightly. "Like what?"

Stephen shrugged. "I guess you're right we really haven't."

The both laughed together for a moment. "You're my best friend Ryan and I know I don't say that much."

"Yeah Steve you're not so bad yourself." Ryan scratched his head. "I should probably be getting back to the wall now. A friend is covering for me."

Stephen nodded in the dark. "Yeah, the Wilsons will worry about me. The people here are real nice. I wish I grew up somewhere like this."

Ryan smiled and opened the door. "Maybe we still can." Stephen smiled too and they walked out together. "Do I need to walk you to you're door son?" Ryan chuckled.

"Get back to work will you!" Stephen laughed after him after they separated.


	11. We got Nick

**A/N: Finally getting to some action…**

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Think of how better things would be."

"I said no!"

"Nick come on the kids are on to something!"

"What part of no don't you two understand damnit!?"

Ryan and Tony looked at each other desperately. "Well we tried!" Tony shrugged.

"Shut up." Ryan growled and ran to catch up with Nick who was walking away. "Nick you know this isn't right!"

Nick stopped walking suddenly causing Ryan and Tony to collide with his backside.

"Hey let's have a warning next time!" Tony complained loudly lifting Ryan up by the elbows.

"Be quiet." Nick lowered his voice and stared into the empty shadows near the wall gates.

Ryan looked too. "What is it? I don't see anything."

"That's the point." Nick whispered.

"I don't get it." Tony looked at Ryan and Nick. "There's nobody there."

"Exactly." Nick squinted to see in the dark.

Ryan's eyes widened. "No guards. Where are the guards?"

Nick started walking slowly down the wall muttering to himself. Tony and Ryan strained to hear and jogged to keep up. "Something is wrong." Nick said a little louder and started to pick up speed. "Something is going on."

"Stop!" Tony shouted. His voice echoed down the wall. Some men who were drifting into a slumber woke up startled. "I think I just heard something." They were now just ten feet away from the gate entrance and the highest point on the wall. Ryan looked down at the street he had been forced down only a few days ago in the RV.

"Look there's somebody!" Ryan pointed. Underneath a flickering lamp post a woman was stumbling and singing softly. "Oh what a beautiful night!" she slurred.

"She looks drunk." Tony stated.

"That's Darla she's always drunk." Nick said softly. "Darla!" He called. "What are you doing its past curfew? And how did you get drunk?" There were no operating bars in Lambert and all the alcohol was in the possession of Mother and her followers.

Darla looked up. She was wearing a nice Sunday dress with and large rimmed glasses. "Ralphie gave me some! Told me to wait here all dressed up pretty for my surprise!" she hiccupped pulling out a flask. "Come down here boys and I might share a drop with you!"

"Darla go home!" Nick pleaded. "You know better than to listen to them."

"Should we go down there?" Ryan asked leaning over the wall trying to get a better look. "She might hurt herself."

"No you two stay up here." Nick reached out for the ladder. Tony and Ryan watched Nick climb down the ladder. He walked towards Darla cautiously.

Tony rested his elbows on the wall's edge. "Nick will handle this."

"Tony, she said Ralph had a surprise for her. You know that Ralph isn't exactly the generous type." Ryan pointed out. "Nick be careful down there!" He shouted. Tony looked down the wall casually.

"Sure is quiet up here without the MLFs. Sounds like someone is vacuuming."

"Vacuuming?" Ryan asked puzzled.

"Yeah don't you hear that buzzing sound?"

"No I don't hear anything." Ryan kept his eye on Nick while straining to hear. Davy started to growl softly.

"What's wrong with your dog man?" Tony glanced down at Davy. "What's wrong boy?"

Ryan kneeled to rub Davy's ears. "I don't know but every time he does this something goes wrong." Davy growled louder and barked. Nick looked up from across the street.

"Ryan keep that dog quiet!" Nick shouted. Darla giggled and leaned into Nick. "Dogs are so cute! Bring him down here!" Davy barked again. His hair was raising against Ryan's hand.

"Shh boy you'll get us all in trouble!" Ryan urged trying to hold Davy's muzzle closed. Davy ignored him and started barking constantly.

"Shut him up!" Tony shouted reaching out for the dog. But Davy was to quick and sprinted down the wall barking loudly. "Davy get back here!" Ryan called in vain.

Ryan!" Nick screamed.

Ryan looked back at Nick. He was standing under the lamp post holding Darla by her wrist. She was spinning around the best she could humming loudly and laughing hysterically. Ryan's eyes drifted past them into the shadows. After blinking a couple of times he confirmed that something was standing behind them.

"Nick look out!" Ryan shouted. Tony saw it too. "Nick get back on the wall!"

But it was too late. Whatever it was it started moving towards Nick and Darla. Nick turned around and started to pull Darla towards the wall slowly keeping his eye on whatever was following them.

Darla pulled out of Nick's grip and fell into the dirt. She let out a screech of laughter and refused to get back up at Nick's urging. "Nick it's getting closer!" Tony called. "I can't leave her!" Nick shouted back.

Without thinking Ryan slid down the ladder. "Ryan get back up here!"

Nick turned around to look at him then turned back to watch the thing. "Go back up Ryan." Nick warned still pulling at Darla who was pulling back and reaching out towards the moving figure. It was almost in the beam of flickering light.

"You need help getting her up the ladder." Ryan ignored Tony and Nick's pleading. "Come on I'll get this side." Ryan put his arm around Darla's left side and holstered her up. Together they were able to pull the woman towards the ladder and push her onto the first prong.

"Nick it's a zombie!" Tony screamed above them.

"What the hell?" Nick turned around. Sure enough there at the corner of the street was a pale figure caked in dried blood and dirt swaying towards them slowly.

"I thought you said Lambert was safe?!" Ryan cried and pushed Darla up another prong. Unfortunately she was not cooperating and dropped back down into the dirt. "Let's keep him!" she got excited at seeing the zombie who was now in the street.

"Tony get the guards!" Nick grunted as he lifted up Darla again. "I'm on it hang tight!" Tony pulled his head back over the wall.

The zombie was halfway across the street now with its arms outstretched moaning. "We're never going to get her up in time!" Ryan groaned when Darla fell down again and started laughing.

"Come on we'll have to carry her." Nick grabbed at the woman again. Ryan looked back at the zombie. "I think I can handle him." He whispered.

"What are you crazy?! We need to get her out of here." Nick took a step forward with the struggling Darla.

"No really I use to fight them. I think I can take him." Ryan hesitated walking with Nick. "Or at least give you enough time to escape."

"Ryan he is moving to slow he won't catch up but we need to go right now." Nick took another step forward.

"No!" Darla screamed out suddenly. "I want my surprise! I want my drink!"

"Darla there is no surprise!" Nick shouted back. Darla rolled her head back then snapped it back up. She brought her knee to Nick's groan clumsily but accurately. She escaped from his grasp when he doubled over.

Ryan made a grab for her when she tried running past him but just as he reached for her she stumbled forward evading him. "No get her!" Nick called out still bending over.

Ryan ran after her and was able to reach her before she reached the zombie. "No!" Darla wailed. She kicked at Ryan's shins and ankles. Ryan pushed her away involuntarily and she went sprawling onto the ground. The zombie dropped down on its hands and knees and grabbed onto her hair.

"Shit!" Ryan shouted. He kicked the zombie in its cheek while it chewed on Darla's hair. There was the definite sound of cracking. The zombie rolled over but still clung to Darla's hair.

Dan came running down the street with his rifle in hand. Ralph and a few other guards slid down the ladder. Tony was nowhere in sight. "Shoot it!" Nick pointed towards the zombie.

"Shut up you!" Ralph swung his fist into Nick's stomach then viciously brought his knee up into his face.

"Nick!" Ryan shouted looking away from the zombie and Darla for a split second. That was all the zombie needed. Darla screamed out in sudden realization. By the time Ryan had turned back around the zombie had bit into her neck.

"No!" Ryan yanked the zombie off and threw him off her. The zombie stood up and started towards Ryan. Darla withered on the ground choking on the blood that was rising in her throat.

"This is getting interesting!" Dan laughed. "Who wants to shoot the kid when he gets bit?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ryan screamed not taking his eyes off the zombie. Any moment now Darla would turn too then he'd have a fresh zombie to deal with. "Shoot him!"

"Nah we've been getting a little bored. We let this sucker in for some entertainment." Ralph cradled his rifle casually in his arms. "But it looks like we are getting a little more action for our troubles."

"You son of a bitch! You planed all of this!" Nick groaned on the ground. Ralph kicked him in the ribs. "I told you to keep quiet Nick! Not so high and mighty now are you?" He kicked him again. Dan and the others squealed with laughter.

The zombie was an arms length away from Ryan and Darla's breathing was slowing down below him. Quickly Ryan dropped remembering the karate techniques his father taught him hen he was young. He spun his leg out knocking the zombie on its back. Ryan then jumped onto its chest and jammed one of his hands under the chin and the other on its forehead. He thrusted his shoulders against his hands and snapped the zombie's neck. Even after he heard the cracking Ryan kept twisting just to make sure.

Dan, Ralph, and the others shut up immediately and stood there looking dumbstruck. "How-he just-" Dan stumbled.

Ryan stood up and walked slowly towards them. "Don't come any closer!" Ralph warned holding up his rifle.

"What you'll shoot me but you won't shoot a zombie?!" Ryan pointed back to Darla. "She's going to get back up and she's going to be faster than the other one. She could infect the whole camp!"

Dan looked around nervously. "I'm not scared. You're the one that should be scared. We have guns."

"Dan she's getting up." One of the men pointed out. Behind Ryan Darla sat up growling. Dan tried to shoot at her but missed horribly. He tried again as she got up but missed again.

"Oh fuck this!" Dan threw his rifle down and ran off. "Dan!" Ralph shouted after him. Seeing Dan run frightened the others and they ran off too screaming at anyone who got in their way.

Darla snarled and looked between Nick and Ryan. Nick was still on the ground and Ryan was sure he was to hurt to move. "Hey over here!" Ryan jumped up waving his arms. Darla roared and ran towards him.

Ryan knew Dan's dropped gun was to far for him to reach before the new zombie was upon him so he braced himself for a head on attack. If he could kill her then Nick would have time to reach the gun if he got bit.

There was an instant before Darla clashed into him where he had a flashback of when he first met Katie.

"_Hey I'm Katie." _

"_But you're a girl."_

"_Um, yes thanks for noticing."_

"_Girls can't go out there."_

"_Well when I grow dick you'll be the first to know."_

"_Just stay out of my way alright?"_

"_Trust me the last thing I want to do is get in your way."_

A mass of black launched itself in front of Ryan bringing him out of a daze. Darla stumbled back. Suddenly Davy was there biting her ankle fiercely. She was unable to figure out why she could move forward but she kept streching herself towards Ryan.

Ryan had time now. He ran over to the rifle and shot at the zombie. One shot was all he needed. Darla's body crumpled next to Davy who was showered in her blood. He yelped and ran back to Ryan.

"You saved me again boy." Ryan rested his forehead on top of Davy's head. Nick groaned loudly. "Oh dang, Nick. Come on I'll get you home."

"Ryan!" Tony came running up to them. "Jesus what happened? I called for Ralph."

"Yeah well we would have been better off without them. Help him." Ryan nodded towards Nick.

"What happened to him?" Tony pulled Nick's arm across his shoulder.

"I'll tell you about it later we just need to get him home." Ryan panted.

"It's okay I have Nick I'll take him home. You go home too and I'll stop by on my way back."

"No, you need my help. Nick is too heavy." Ryan stood up shakily.

"If you come I'll probably wind up having to drag both of you. You go on home I'll be fine." Tony turned to Davy. "Take him home buddy. Go on."

Davy understood and nipped at Ryan's hands. "Okay but be careful." Ryan turned reluctantly and grasped onto Davy's collar.

Katie looked up at the ceiling. The couch was comfortable and she was tired as hell but she still couldn't will herself to sleep. Her meeting with Ryan and Stephen ended horribly. She felt so stupid there was no way they would be able to overthrow Mother. They would be stuck here until they died.

She heard a noise outside and sat up. For a moment she forgot where she was and reached for a gun that wasn't there. The noise got louder and she could hear the gate outside opening. She walked over to the screen door. The wood was cold under her feet. There was a voice outside and it didn't sound like Ralph or one of the others.

"Nick?" she called stepping out one the porch. Nick was being held by Tony as they came along the path towards the porch.

"He's hurt pretty badly." Tony said approaching Katie. "He's going to need some help."

"What happened? Who are you?" Katie ran down the steps to help.

"The name's Tony, you must be Katie." Tony shifted Nick's weight.

"Yeah how do you know my name?"

"I'm friends with Ryan, he talks about you all the time. Maybe you should go get Kim." Tony grunted again.

"You're right. Hang on Nick I'll be right back." Katie ran back up the steps when she was halfway through the screen door Nick raised his head. "Katie." He looked her directly in the eyes.

"I'm in."


	12. Mother's Personal Guard

**A/N: Okay so I know this has nothing to do with the story what so ever but I'm excited so I don't care. I'm a senior in high school and I just got a letter today telling me that I am receiving a 4 year ROTC scholarship. Anyway now that you know that enjoy this chapter. Thank you for all the reviews******

"Nick sit still!" Kim slapped his shoulder lightly. "You are not going to get any better if you don't let me help you."

"Daddy's not going to get better?!" Brad wailed.

"Brad your dad is going to be fine calm down." Katie lifted Brad onto her knee. They were all sitting in the living room. Nick was lying on the couch being tended to by his wife while Katie and Brad were sitting in the rocking chair together. The sun was starting to stream through the blinds leaving odd patterns on the carpet.

"Something needs to be done Kim. They actually let that thing in! Who knows what they will do?" Nick cried out.

"You'll scare Brad." Kim warned.

"I'm not scared mommy." Brad chirped.

"Darling I'm fine really but I need to talk to Katie." Nick held Kim's hands. She looked at him startled for a moment then to Katie.

"Nick you need your rest we can talk about it later. I can wait." Katie said.

"No it can't wait. Someone died last night!" Nick whispered. Katie's face paled.

"Died?" Brad started to cry. "Don't die daddy!"

"Goodness Gracious Nick!" Kim lifted Brad off of Katie and went to the kitchen with him.

"Katie you were right. We need to do something." Nick ignored his wife.

"Died. You said someone died." Katie wondered aloud.

"Her name was Darla, Ralph and the boys tricked her and she lost her life because of it." Nick answered.

Katie sighed and leaned back in the chair. "But Ryan, he is okay right?"

"Last I saw of him. Who knows what would have happened if he didn't…well he saved a lot of lives last night. Him and his dog."

"I need to see him." Katie said quietly.

"You will soon enough. We'll have to get everyone together sometime; we need to have a meeting."

"How can we do that? The curfews are strict and there is no way we can cram everyone into the post office without being noticed."

"We don't need to have everyone there. Just representatives like from the gardens and the construction sites."

"Yeah I get it. That might actually work." Katie smiled. "I feel so rebellious."

"Try not to be so obvious about it." Nick warned. "This is going to take precision, one slip up and it could mean the end for everyone."

Katie nodded "I understand."

"We can't back out. We can't even think about wanted to back out. And we can only tell people we completely trust."

"I get it." Katie agreed. "We're going to do this."

Nick grimaced. "We're going to do this." He confirmed. "One way or the other."

"Ryan? Open up!" Tony stood outside Ryan and Derrick's apartment door. "It's Tony man come on." The door flung open and before Tony had time to react he was pulled in swiftly.

"Boy's gone. Took him last night." Derrick slammed the door behind him.

"Who took him?" Tony asked although he already knew the answer.

"Them Nazis. They came at night took the boy back to their headquarters." Derrick scratched his chin. He looked like he hadn't shaved in days.

"Ah shit!" Tony sighed and flopped onto Derrick's couch. "How could you let them take him?!"

"I was outnumbered! There was hundreds of them everywhere. Some were in the walls." Derrick whispered glancing around the room. "I think they are still here."

Tony groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Mr. Fallon you are no help at all!"

"That's sergeant Fallon to you private!" Derrick pointed out fiercely. "And get you're hair cut boy you look like one of those hippy teenagers always carrying around grass and junk."

"You know what." Tony stood up and shook his finger at Derrick. "You're right I'll go right off to get that hair cut you just wait right here in 1943." Tony crossed the room to the door.

"Keep an eye on the walls son!" Derrick called after him. Tony walked down the hall shaking his head. He had to go back and tell Nick that Mother and her goons picked Ryan up. There was no telling what could be happing to him.

"Darling Ryan how nice of you to join me this morning."

"Bite me you old bitch." Ryan stood there defiantly. He could hear Dan behind him make a move for his gun but Mother raised her hand to stop him. Mother and Ryan stared into each others eyes the whole time. Mother sat in her chair lightly fingering her auburn hair that was graying at the roots.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Mother smiled. "I have after all brought you into a world of safety."

"Safe for you maybe." Ryan grunted. "These assholes back here killed a woman last night. They almost got me killed." Dan moved towards him again but Mother threw him a harsh glance.

"Terribly sorry about that my dear, but you see I have been made aware of your abilities." Mother coughed politely into her hand. Ryan didn't say anything but he was clenching and unclenching his fists slowly. "I'd like to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer." Ryan spoke through his teeth now. How could woman sit there and act like everything was normal when less than ten hours ago he was fighting for his life.

"I want you to be part of the crew. My crew."

"But Mother he's not-" Dan stepped beside Ryan astonished.

"Dan please wait outside!" Mother raised her voice so suddenly that it startled even Ryan. Dan had his mouth half open when he turned towards the door. Ryan looked back at Dan then to Mother again astonished.

"There is no way in hell I would ever join you." Ryan stated defiantly.

Mother nodded curtly. "I was expecting you would say something along those lines. If you would please open the door, I think you will be quiet surprised."

Ryan glanced back at the door clearly not trusting the old woman. "Go on open it." She grinned. Ryan slowly walked towards the door and opened it. Karen stood there looking terrified. However as soon as she noticed Ryan in the door way she rushed forward into his arms.

"Ryan! I missed you so much! They said I'd never see you again!" She sobbed into his shoulder.

Ryan pulled her inside the room and shushed her. "It's okay, I'm not going to let them take you again."

"Ahem." Mother drew their attention. "I do believe that is up to me." She smiled like a Cheshire cat. Ryan held Karen tighter and glared at Mother.

"Over my dead body." He growled. "Ryan no." Karen squeaked.

Mother ignored him. "If you agree to help me you will have access to weapons, you won't have to work on the wall anymore, and you and your sister can live together."

Ryan swallowed. "And what's in it for you?" he asked.

"You will become my personal body guard of course. But let me first warned you." Mother's voice changed from soft and sweet. "If there is any hint of foul play, I will have you, your sister, and any other person in this fort you hold dear killed. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Then we have an agreement. You may leave now and take your sister but I will be expecting you back here tomorrow morning." Mother's voice went back to normal as she sighed and leant back in her chair comfortably.

"Rachel! Rachel! Rachel!" Stephen almost ran into the reception shack where Rachel was standing coolly.

"Stephen! Stephen! Stephen!" Rachel mocked.

"Has Katie come by?" Stephen asked ignoring her laughter.

"No she hasn't. She wasn't here five minutes ago, she won't be here now." Rachel flicked her hair over her shoulder. "And you look like you've been hit by a train."

Stephen frowned and looked himself over. "Well I have been working in a bunch of dirt."

"Ew, I hope I didn't look like that when I was working." Rachel wrinkled her nose. "Speaking of working you should get back before they catch you out here."

"No they are to busy to notice. Did you hear what happened last night?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah some lady tried to escape and they shot her or something?"

Stephen shook his head. "I heard that one too."

"You need a haircut." Rachel point out lazily and completely off topic. "You should ask Mrs. Wilson to cut it for you."

Stephen ran his hand through his hair. "I can't believe someone was killed last night and all you care about is how long my hair is." Stephen groaned. "But it is getting pretty long I suppose."

Rachel snorted. "You need to go back to work, and give this letter to Mr. Wilson." Rachel reached into her pocket and handed her piece of paper.

"Where did you get his from? I thought you said Katie didn't come?!" Stephen took the paper and started to open it.

"Katie didn't come. It was Nick he looked pretty banged up too." Rachel yawned. "He said it was extremely important that no body read that except Mr. and Mrs. Wilson."

"Okay I'll be sure to give it to them."

"Your going to read it aren't you?" Rachel asked. "I knew I shouldn't have given it to you."

"Katie would have told me what it is about anyway." Stephen turned to leave. "Oh yeah and here." He pulled out a couple of apples from his seed bag. "Like I said the guards aren't really paying attention today. For your mom." He handed the apples over to her.

"Stephen we'll get in trouble." Rachel complained but took the apples anyway. "Just go back to work please."

Stephen waved and turned away. He stopped behind a tree to read Nick's letter.

_Mr. & Mrs. Wilson,_

_I would expect there to be rumors already circulating about what happened last night. Well I was there. And this is something that must not be taken lightly. I would like to arrange an underground meeting to solve this problem. I need one or both of you to be at the abandoned Post Office tomorrow night shortly after midnight. There I will explain everything. Until then please remain cautious, if possible destroy this letter after you have read it._

_Your Dear Friend,_

_Nicholas Lewis_

"This is getting interesting." Stephen sighed and slipped the letter into his pocket.


	13. Together We Stand

Nick held the door open for Katie

**A/N: I'm sorry if these next few chapters are boring but they are leading up to something I promise. My laptop was sent in for repair so sorry it took awhile.**

Nick held the doors to the Post Office open for Katie and together they stared at all the dust and trashed littered around them.

"If we are going to be having meeting here, we should defiantly clean some of this up." Katie pointed out. Nick nodded in agreement. He walked over to the counter and ran his hand across it. "What if nobody shows?" Katie looked concerned.

Nick's back was turned as he looked around. "They'll show up. You haven't been the only one whose been begging me to do something about Mother. Yes, I think they'll show."

Katie shrugged and walked over to jump up on the counter. "How many do you think?"

Nick sighed. "Well the Wilsons I'm sure will come. Matt will come of course along with some of the construction crew. Ryan and some guys from the wall are showing up. A few other people from the kitchens you haven't met."

Katie raised her eyebrows. "I thought we were trying to keep this small?" The door opened and they both tensed up for a moment. "Hey guys!" Matt walked in.

"Hey Matt you remember Katie?" Nick introduced. Matt instinctively reached up to his head. "Oh yeah I remember her alright."

Katie winced a little. "Sorry about all that."

"It's okay." Matt immediately waved her off. "I brought Chris and Davis." He jerked his thumb back at two of the biggest men Katie had ever seen. They were bigger than Nick even.

"It's nice to have them. Take a seat if you can find one." Nick gestured around the room. The man Matt had introduced as the huge Chris walked over and leaned against the counter right beside Katie. Katie swallowed and inched closer to Nick.

Mr. Wilson walked in next. Stephen was following him lazily. "Hey Katie!" he cried out.

"How did I know you'd show up?" Katie jumped off the counter to give Stephen a hug. Nick shook Mr. Wilson's hand. "Lilly can't make it?"

"No sir she is a bit worried and I can't blame her but I'm here and I brought the boy." Dalton looked over at Katie and Stephen who were talking animatedly.

A few minutes later everyone had arrived. With the exception of Ryan. "We're going to have to start without him." Nick sighed. Just then Tony came through the door breathing heavily.

"They took Ryan!" he gasped. "Mother is using him for something, they picked him up this morning and I heard some guards talking about him."

They all looked at him with their mouths opened slightly. Katie looked at Stephen then back to Tony.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes I'm posi-"The door opened again and hit Tony in the head.

"And why wasn't I made aware of this mutiny?!" Derrick Fallon stood in the doorway.

"Ohh not you!" Tony groaned. "Why'd you send _him _a letter Nick?"

"He didn't" Ryan answered pushing Derrick aside. Karen griped his arm. "Karen!" Katie rushed over to her and the girls hugged. Ryan pushed them forward and closed the door. "He followed us here. I couldn't risk him blabbing around." Ryan embraced Stephen and shook Tony's hand firmly. But Tony's eyes drifted towards Karen's.

"I guess we can get started now." Nick rubbed his eyes.

"I'll call this meeting to order!" Derrick said.

"Shut up!" everyone else shouted at him.

Nick glanced around the room. "This is the first meeting of the…of the…what should we call this?"

"Secret society of Lambert?" Stephen offered.

"Nick's Army?" Katie thought out loud.

"Let's just be something subtle like the safety squad." Karen voiced.

"I agree with her." Tony said.

Ryan smacked him upside the head. "We're not going to be called the 'safety squad'. We don't want the guards to die of laughter before we can shoot them."

"We don't have any guns." Chris had a deep and calming voice. He could easily put everyone asleep with it. His bald head was reflecting light.

"Not now we don't. But I've been offered a job working for Mother and I think I can smuggle guns into this operation."

"No way Ryan that's too dangerous. I mean what if you get caught?" Katie said.

"How dangerous is it going to be if we do this without guns? It'll be a massacre." Ryan stated.

"Now hold on we haven't even decided what we are going to do exactly." Nick raised his voice over the people whispering.

"I thought we were here to kick some guard ass." Chris announced flexing the muscles under his shirt. Chris was now Katie's best friend.

"I agree with him." Katie said.

"We can't just start shooting them in broad daylight." Stephen looked at Ryan. "And as soon as they find out what we are doing they'll go into buildings and start killing everyone."

"If we do anything it's going to be at night for sure." Tony said. Nick nodded in agreement. "The guards have lights though. They will just light everything up and it will be the same as if we did it in the morning."

Everyone thought about this for a moment before Matt spoke up. "We could cut the electricity."

"Can you do that?" Karen asked in awe. "I mean won't they know if you're messing around with it?"

Matt shook his head. "Chris, Davis, and I could do it pretty easy I think. It's not to far from Mother's house we could just slip away and cut a few wires."

"And what are we going to do with the people that won't be fighting?" Mr. Wilson asked. "And who do we let fight? I know my Lilly won't be up for it and I'm sure Kim and the other mothers will want to stay out of it."

"Anyone older than eighteen that wants too." Ryan said looking towards Karen. Katie shrugged "That seems fair."

"That still leaves the question of what to do with the children and people who do not wish to fight. We obviously can't just let them sit around in their homes while there is a war breaking out and we can't move them all or the guards will know we're up to something." Mr. Wilson continued.

"I know." Karen said suddenly. "We split the children and others into groups of four. Then hide them in different apartments and houses around the town. That way if the guards do come after them they'll have to look first. And that would give the fighters more time to stop them."

Katie smiled. "Yeah only they won't have time to look because they'll be getting their heads blown off."

"You're really smart." Tony whispered to Karen. She blushed and Ryan smacked him upside the head again.

"That might work." Nick sighed. "All in favor of putting Miss Karen in charge of the children?"

Everyone in the room said "I"

Karen looked shocked. "I never said I wanted to be in _charge_ of it!"

Ryan looked amused. "It's okay Karen you'll do fine."

"We'll keep the kids all in one sector. Then we can set people up at vantage points to take out anyone before the can even reach the buildings." Nick laid a map of the town on the floor.

"What about Mother? If we take her out the whole camp system will collapse." Ryan said kneeling down to look at the map. He drew a circle around where Mother lived with his finger. "I propose we have a strike force go in and try."

"I'm on this strike force." Chris said looking down at Ryan.

"I want to be on the strike force." Katie said. Nick shook his head. "Katie and Tony I want you guarding the children sector like I said before. Ryan, Chris, and me will be the strike force. It will be easier with a small group."

"Ah come on! You don't let me do anything!" Katie complained. Chris frowned at her and she stopped talking immediately.

"Nick is right Katie; you're a crack shot with all the weapons I've seen you with. You'd make a great guard." Ryan said. Katie threw him a dirty look but remained silent.

"I want to help Matt with the electric stuff. After all of this is over with someone is going to have to get the power back on and before the outbreak my dad was an electrician." Stephen voiced. "And if Chris is going to go with the strike force I could help out."

"What do the rest of us do?" Wilson asked.

"We'll set everyone up with groups of three and disperse the groups all over the place. That way we can convert back to guerilla techniques. We outnumber them but I don't want to take any risks. I want at least four of these groups stationed together in the town square." Nick indicated to the middle of the town on the map. "I expect the guards to be here. After the initial attack I bet the try to regroup there."

"Then we finish them off." Tony said. "When will all this happen? We can't keep having meetings or the guards will catch on."

"In a couple of days, there won't be a moon out. I think we should do it then, or else wait another month." Stephen addressed.

"Tony's right we can't keep having meetings and discussions for a whole month. We'll have to do it in two days." Nick stared down at the map.

The room was quiet for a few moments. Everyone glanced at each other in understanding. "None of the guards can know about this. Every single body in this room has to make a pact tonight." Nick said solemnly. "A pact to protect each other, to protect this mission, and to protect our families."

Katie nodded and reached out for Ryan's hand. Ryan accepted and grasped Karen's hand whose took Tony's and Stephen's until the entire room of people, even the giant Chris and crazy Derrick were holding hands with another member. "Together we stand. Divided we fall." Nick sighed.

"What you couldn't think of anything original?" Katie laughed. Ryan nudged her. "Hey it works."


	14. Calm Before the Storm

The wind blowing through the camp was cold and icy

The wind blowing through the camp was cold and icy. Katie had to stay up all night on the couch listening to Mrs. Lewis crying over what Nick had told her. She was scared for him and Brad, Katie knew. Pictures of Kim being handed over to the rebels and Brad's body riddled with bullet holes haunted Katie constantly throughout the night. She could only imagine what Nick was going through but he had to be strong in his decisions, he had a whole fort to lead.

Katie sighed and rolled over. It had to be morning soon which meant that tomorrow would be the big day. Life or death day. Ryan was supposed to come by and drop some ammunition off. Then he was off to Chris' apartment were all the guns would be held and distributed at that night's meeting. It surprised everyone except Katie that Ryan had acted so quickly to get these valuable supplies. And since Mother's personal guard have immediate access to the weapons stockpile it was relatively easy for Ryan to dismiss the guards and slip in late at night after the meeting.

Light was started to pour through the window into Katie's eyes. She winced but stood up and stretched. She walked towards the kitchen but stopped in front of the refrigerator. She stared at the door knowing that it was empty. Her stomach growled lazily and she sighed loudly.

"What's wrong Katie?" Brad popped out of nowhere beside her.

"Jesus Brad you need to get a bell or something." Katie told him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Mommy and Daddy were fighting." Brad said flatly.

"Oh I know, buddy but that's just what Mommy's and Daddy's do sometimes." Katie assured him pouring a glass of water and handing it to him.

Brad took a gulp and looked back at Katie. "Do your Mommy and Daddy fight too?" he asked.

Katie swallowed the lump growing in her throat. "Well, they did fight over stuff. But they were always really supportive of me and that's what your parents are of you Brad, they love you so much."

"Do you miss your mommy Katie?" Brad asked. Afterwards there was a long silence.

Yeah, I miss her a lot." A few tears rolled down Katie's face but she showed no expression. "I miss my dad too."

"Don't cry Katie it's okay." Brad handed her the glass of water she gave to him. "You can share my mommy and daddy."

Katie started to laugh through the tears. "I always wanted a little brother or sister."

"I can be your little brother Katie!" The idea suddenly dawn on the little boy.

"I don't know Brad; little brother's can be annoying. You're not going to read my diary or anything, will you?" Katie joked.

Brad took her seriously and said "No Katie I promise! I won't read your diary or be annoying or anything I swear!"

"Oh alright then little bro you got the job."

"Yay!" Brad shouted. Nick stood against the doorframe looking dazed. "What is going on in here?"

"Daddy, I'm Katie's little brother!" Brad shouted again.

"Brad calm down your mother is sleeping." Nick said sternly.

"He was scared." Katie defended. "I was just trying to help."

Nick grinned. "Katie you are always welcome in this family."

"Yay!" said Brad happily.

Katie smiled. "Thank-you." Katie answered seriously then turned to Brad. "So, bro? Want me to teach you some soccer moves before I go to work?" Katie started to lead Brad out of the house to the front yard. "What's soccer?" Brad complained.

"So what happened last night?" Rachel asked flipping her hair. "Did you have the meeting?"

"Shh! How did you know about the meeting?!" Stephen hushed and looked around. Stephen found himself drawn to the reception shack more and more these days. Maybe it was because he was so hungry or maybe he just liked the company.

"Everyone knows about the meeting." Rachel answered. "It's like, camp knowledge."

"Aw crap." Stephen sighed.

"Don't worry." Rachel tried to reassure him. "Only the right people know. The people that want to help anyway."

"Well then Nick must have talked to them. But how do you know?" Stephen asked.

Rachel looked at him in shock. "Stephen I'm tempted to slap you right here in front of everyone."

"What? Why?" Stephen gaped.

"For assuming I don't want to help. Of course Nick talked to me. I was in the teen academy with the police department. I'm a crack shot with a scope."

"No way! Really? I didn't know that!" Stephen laughed picturing the petite red head with a gun.

"Well you don't know a lot of things." Rachel smirked and looked over her fingernails.

"Can I ask you a question?" Stephen changed the subject randomly.

Rachel looked up and flicked her hair a little. "No, Katie hasn't delivered today."

"That's not what I was going to ask you actually." Stephen leaned on the counter towards her. "It was more like a personal question."

"Oh, a personal question? In that case, no."

"Please?" Stephen pleaded leaning forward more. Rachel laughed and shook her head. "You need to go back to work."

"I won't go back to work unless you answer my question." Stephen answered stubbornly.

"Go away before I call a guard." Rachel turned away from him.

"You and I both no you won't." Stephen reached out for her arm.

"Both know you won't what?" Katie asked walking up with Tammy. She looked at Stephen. He was frozen in the spot leaning over the reception counter holding Rachel's hand. "Ohhhhh. I get it." Katie smirked.

"Katie! This isn't what it looked like!" Stephen released Rachel's hand.

"It's okay I get it. I'll come back later." Katie laughed.

"No Katie it's okay." Rachel said. "Stephen was just leaving."

Katie stood there grinning broadly at the two. "Okay if you say so."

Tammy shook her head. "This is crazy. You can't be fooling around with each other while you're suppose to be working. I swear teenagers and their hormones are going to get us all killed one day."

"No we weren't doing anything I swear!" Stephen cried out.

"Good-bye Stephen." Rachel sang and waved him off. "I'll see you later sweetheart."

"Don't call me that! We weren't doing anything!" Stephen shouted before a guard started too called over to him. Katie was laughing her head off at his expression. Tammy smacked her upside the head and told her to shut up.

"What did I do?" she whispered.

"Have a nice day Rachel." Tammy ignored Katie and smiled politely. The two left the gardens started off to the construction areas.

The rest of the afternoon went uneventful. The guards remained strangely quiet all day. Katie didn't think anything of it there was defiantly a strong vibe buzzing through the camp. And when she got home that night Nick was waiting for her.

"Are you ready to go?" Nick asked.

"Uh yeah I guess. It's getting pretty cold out there we should probably make it a quick meeting."

"Katie, we can't rush this."

"I know I guess I'm just…excited."

Nick grunted. "I'm sorry to hear that one can be excited over something like this." He handed her one of Kim's old jackets. "Let's go."

Everyone that was at the first meeting was already waiting for them. There were even some people who decided to come after Nick talked to them personally like Rachel who was sitting beside Stephen on the floor. Ryan was leaning on the wall next to Chris. He smiled when Katie walked in.

"Thank-you all for coming then." Nick shook his coat off as Katie went to stand between Ryan and Karen. "I believe that by now you all know what will be happening this time tomorrow night."

"We've already started to move some of the families." Karen piped in.

"And I have memorized a route to the electrical systems. I could find it in the dark if I had to." Matt offered.

"Good. Good." Nick sighed. "And Ryan has been doing well."

"Sure has. Having my hands on some firepower sure feels great." Chris said patting the bulge under his coat.

"What are you doing carrying that around?!" Mr. Wilson gasped. "You want to get us all caught?"

Chris snorted. "They aren't going to find out I have it until I've shot them."

"This meeting is for assignments and finalizations." Nick spoke over them. "Karen and the Goodman's are going to watch the children."

"Along with any adults who don't want to fight." Karen nodded.

"Me, Davis, and the kid are going to take out the lights." Matt chimed.

"We're the strike force." Ryan said jerking his thumb between himself and Chris.

"Right and Katie, Tony, and Rachel are going to be guards for the kids." Nick finished. "Everyone else come speak with me and I'll give you your group and assignments for tomorrow night."

When Katie thought no one was watching she slipped out and walked into the deserted street. She shuttered when she remembered her jacket was left in the post office. "Crap." She muttered to herself.

"Hey Katie! Where are you going?" Ryan jogged up behind her. "Why'd you leave?"

Katie spun around on him. "Ryan this is like sexism! You know I could help more if I went with you or with one of the guerilla groups." Ryan was speechless and Katie went back to walking down the street.

"Stop that!" Ryan shouted running to catch up with her again. "Nick's right we need someone to make sure the guards don't charge into where all the innocents are. Your job is important."

"But what if you get hurt?" Katie said suddenly. Her face went red for a moment. "I mean what if any of you get hurt and I'm just twiddling my thumbs? I couldn't live with myself."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "You know me. I'll be fine."

Katie kept on walking with Ryan following closely behind her. "Leave me alone Ryan." She groaned.

"If I leave you out here by yourself you're going to get picked up by one of the other guards."

"I'm not scared of them." Katie spit. "I'd like to see them try and start something with me."

"They already have. And you remember how that worked out?" Ryan pulled on her arm to get her to stop. "Please just come back with me."

"I don't want to go back." Katie crossed her arms.

"How are you going to get your gun if you don't?" Ryan smiled. Katie raised her eyebrows in interest. "Aha! I knew that would get you! Come on."

"Yeah okay but as soon as I get my rifle I'm leaving again."

Ryan was still smiling. "That's fine."

When Katie and Ryan walked back in it was like they had never left. Nick and Chris were issuing weapons out silently. "Be careful taking these home tonight." Nick warned.

"I'll distract anyone wanting to cause trouble." Ryan handed a rifle to Katie. "You'll need something smaller too I suspect."

"What about knives?" Stephen asked.

"Any knives you have at your home that haven't already been picked up by Mother feel free to bring them." Nick said. "Once you have your weapons start to leave. Leave in couples. Make sure it's clear for the next group."

Katie fingered the old rifle. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "I can't believe we're actually going to do it."

"I should go back to the Goodman's." Karen murmured. "They need to know what's going on. And we have a lot more people to move." Ryan looked up from the weapon stockpile.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.

"I'll go with her!" Tony jumped off the floor.

Karen shrugged. "Okay." Ryan frowned at Tony. "You take her home and then you come right back."

"Don't worry sir I'll have her home by midnight." Tony saluted and then held the door open for Karen.

"I'm serious Tony!" Ryan shouted after the door closed.

"Stephen you ready?" Rachel asked after taking a rifle.

"Yeah hold on." Stephen grunted reaching for a colt.

"You two leaving?" Katie asked. "Together?"

"Shut up." Stephen groaned. "Come on Rachel."

"Okay!" Rachel stood up cheerfully. "See you tomorrow Katie. Bye Ryan, Nick." She nodded at them.

After they had left Ryan looked at Katie. "What was that about?"

"I think Stephen has a crush on Rachel." Katie answered.

"And does she like him back?" Ryan motioned with his hands making Katie laugh. "Are you kidding? She's practically in love with him."

"We should probably clear out." Nick stood up with Chris. "Everyone else is gone."

Katie looked around. "Wow. I didn't even notice."

"Time flies when you're having fun kid." Chris grabbed her elbow and pulled her up. Ryan stood up next to her.

"I'll see you tomorrow night. Until then good luck." Nick shook Chris' hand. "Let's go Katie I want to make sure Kim and Brad are safe."

"Bye Ryan." Katie gave him a quick hug and followed Nick out the door looking back for a moment.

* * *

During Ryan's rounds for Mother in the dark hours of the morning he decided Nick's home was a direct threat to Mother and went to investigate. He did this by throwing small rocks at the front windows and door. When the front porch light turned on he hid in a small corner of shadows. Katie walked out on the porch in baggy sweat pants and a tank top. "Hello?" she called out.

"Katie." Ryan whispered in the dark.

"Who is that? Ryan?" Katie looked over to where he was standing but couldn't see him.

"Yeah." He said stepping out into the light. "It's me."

"Wha-" Katie yawned. "What are you doing here?" she finished.

"Sorry did I wake you up?" Ryan looked sheepish.

"Of course you woke me up it's like three in the morning!" Katie whispered. "And I'm freezing my ass off out here."

"You're looking really good this morning by the way." Ryan pointed out.

Katie shook her head. "What the hell are you talking about I just woke up. Go back to Karen or something." She turned to go back into the house.

"No, Katie please wait!" Ryan ran over in front of the porch. "I don't really know why I came." He lied. He knew why he came he just couldn't tell her.

"Well isn't that great." Katie reached for the door.

"Katie come sit out here with me." Ryan said a little to loudly.

"What? Sit out on the wet grass and freeze to death? No thank you." Katie sighed. "Besides if Nick finds out you're here he's going to kill you."

Ryan stepped up to the porch. "Look, I just." He couldn't think of the words. "I just want to spend the night with you."

"Pervert!" Katie shouted.

"No, no! Oh God no, Katie that's not what I meant at all!" Ryan defended. Katie stared at him. "Then what did you mean?"

"It's just that I don't know we might not have the chance tomorrow." Ryan turned away from her and walked back down the steps. "Ryan, we have to stay positive."

"I know." He sighed. "And I always have. It just feels different this time."

"Oh Ryan." Katie walked down to meet him. "Stop being such a pansy." She reached around and hugged him tightly.

"That doesn't help." Ryan laughed hugging her back. "And I am not a pansy."

"I know." Katie sighed. "I love you Ryan."

"I love you too Katie." And suddenly Katie wasn't so cold anymore.


	15. What's Going On?

_I apologize for the wait guys I have severe senioritis…but the good news is that I'm back on it. I have been working on multiple chapters at a time instead of just one so I shouldn't keep you waiting too long anymore. Anyway enjoy this chapter I appreciate all the reviews!_

* * *

"What the hell is going on out here?!" Katie and Ryan jolted up from the porch steps, Nick stood above them looking down menacingly.

"Oh my god! Were we out here all night?" Katie's face reddened with embarrassment and shock.

"Look, Nick." Ryan held up his hands defensively. "We're just friends nothing happened!"

"I'm not an idiot Ryan I know what you're up to." Nick growled.

"No Nick he is right nothing happened." Katie tried.

"You get in the house!" Nick bellowed. "And get some clothes on!"

"Hey you can't tell her what to do!" Ryan suddenly became brave. Katie stood, rooted to the spot on the steps.

"I said get in the house!" Nick yelled again. Katie made a small noise then jumped up the steps past Nick who took a step down towards Ryan slowly. Ryan gulped and took a step back.

"Nick!" Tony jumped over the fence clumsily but still landed on his feet. "We have problems!" he finished when he reached the porch.

"What kind of problems?" Ryan asked happy to change the subject.

"Like a dead problem." Tony answered catching his breath. "There's a flock of them heading this way." He paused to bend over huffing. "They are moving slow but we think they'll be at the gate by tomorrow sometime."

"How?" Nick scratched his head. "How did they know to get here? How do they know we are here?"

There was a silent moment between the three. "The R.V." Katie stood behind the screen door. Nick glanced back at her with a slightly annoyed look. "I thought I told you to get some clothes on."

Katie ignored him and walked back outside. "They must have come from the supermarket." Ryan groaned into his hands. "Why didn't we take them out when we had the chance?"

"So what are we going to do? Are we still on for tonight?" Tony asked.

"Yes we have to have Mother out of power before the zombies show up. You saw what they did with one." Nick sighed. "We have to be much more urgent now."

"Well I don't have a problem with that. Who all knows about this? Do the guards?" Ryan looked at Tony.

"That's the other problem, there aren't any guards!" Tony became animated again. "Not a single one! I ran around this whole place looking for some but I haven't seen Dan or Ralph all morning!"

Ryan and Katie shared nervous glances with each other. "You-You don't think they could know about…" Katie trailed.

"We just have to stick with the plan regardless of what they know." Nick stated calmly. "Even if they do know we still outnumber them and have at least some weapons now." This seemed to assure his younger audience somewhat.

"You two shouldn't be here." Nick looked at Ryan and Tony.

"Yeah I was going to help Karen. They've started to move some of the folks on the west side." Ryan nodded. "I'll drop by afterwards."

"And I'll see if I can find out about our set up." Tony added.

"Alright, be careful moving the others. A large group of people is a great way to get unwanted attention." Nick advised Ryan. "Kim is coming out to help later as well."

"You got it." Ryan walked briskly off the property. Katie stood on the porch slightly miffed at Ryan leaving so abruptly.

"Katie want to come with?" Tony asked snapping her out of the daze. "Huh? Oh yeah sure I'll go."

Tony reached over to shake Nick's hand. "Well if we don't see each other again, it's been fun alright."

"Tony don't talk like that but yeah. Katie keep out of trouble. Stay safe you two." Nick gave Katie and quick hug.

While they were walking down towards the gate Katie sighed. "That's the hardest thing to do nowadays isn't it?"

"What is?" Tony asked as he held the gate open for her.

"Staying safe." Katie turned and looked back at the Lewis house as Tony closed and locked the gate. "Oh yeah, you're telling me sister."

* * *

"Stephen dear where are you going?"

"I told you Mrs. Wilson I'm going to meet Matt."

"But I thought we were going to work?" Mrs. Wilson questioned. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee mug clasped in her hands.

"Lilly, darling he isn't going to work today and neither are you. We talked about this remember?" Mr. Wilson looked up from the floor where he was throwing clothes into a worn duffel bag. "Kim should be here any minute to take you to a safe house."

"Oh will Jarrod be there?"

"Jarrod?" Stephen glanced over at Mr. Wilson as he adjusted his jacket collar. "Who is Jarrod?"

Just then there was a knocking on the door. "Come on Lils that would be Kim. Stephen help me out will you?"

Stephen held onto Mrs. Wilson's hand and led her toward the door. "Hello?" Kim stuck her head into the front door.

"Hey, Kim." Mr. Wilson handed over the duffel bag. "How are we doing?"

"Well there aren't any guards so my job is pretty easy, but it's scaring the hell out of me and everyone else. I just hope Nick and Brad are ok."

"We heard about the guards. And I'm sure Nick is ok." Mr. Wilson assured her. "Take care of Lilly she isn't taking the change so well."

"What are we changing dear?" Mrs. Wilson asked. "Oh hello Kim, I didn't notice you there!"

Kim gave a sideways glance and nodded. "I've already dealt with Derrick today; I should be able to handle her." Mrs. Lewis smiled and looped her arm around Lilly's.

"I'm going to drop Stephen off on my way to the gardens. Are you ready?" Mr. Wilson looked at Stephen.

"Yeah I'm ready. I'll see you later Mrs. Wilson okay?"

"Oh but dear I thought we were going to work?" Mrs. Wilson touched his hand lightly. Mr. Wilson sighed and looked at Kim. "Like I said, take good care of her."

"Of course." Kim nodded and started to pull Lilly to the door gently. "I love you." Mr. Wilson whispered and kissed the top of his wife's head. "Come on Stephen we should get going."

Stephen followed the group and the door and into the street. "I'll send Nick your way if I see him. Good luck." Kim and Lilly split up with Stephen and Mr. Wilson at the corner. Stephen watched them disappear down the street before jogging to catch up.

"Who is Jarrod?" He asked Mr. Wilson. "And what is wrong with your wife? I've never seen her act like that."

"She gets nervous that's all." Mr. Wilson kept walking.

"But who is Jarrod?"

"Jarrod was our son."

"You have a son?" Stephen asked astonished.

"No I had a son." Mr. Wilson grunted. "Which brings me to something else." He stopped walking and looked around. "Here, let's sit down for a moment." He was motioning to an old bus bench.

"Sure is everything okay?"

"Stephen, if something should happen to me tonight…" Mr. Wilson looked out across the pavement. "If I'm not here tomorrow morning, you are all Lilly will have."

Stephen stared at his hands. "I'm not sure what you are getting at sir."

"I want you to take care of my wife when I'm gone." Mr. Wilson stated. "She is going to need you. You're like a son to her. And to me."

"Wow." Stephen looked at Mr. Wilson but he was still looking forward. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll take care of her."

"Uh, yeah of course I will but nothing is going to happen to you. We're going to get through this."

"I know we will." Mr. Wilson rubbed Stephen's shoulder. "You're a good kid. Now come on Matt is waiting for you."

* * *

"You were right about the whole no guard thing. This is just too creepy." Katie said to Tony as the walked down a back street.

"Yeah, I know! This is where we'll set up for the night I guess. You can take that alley way right there and I'll take this one across from it. We'll be like ninjas in the night." Tony pointed around in a military style.

"Ninjas, great comparison." Katie rolled her eyes. "But I agree. What about Rachel though? She is going to be with us too."

"What about me?" The bouncy red head Rachel came up from behind them.

"Hello Rachel!" Tony waved. "Glad you could join us."

"I'm already set up." She smiled and pointed up to the roof of the post office. "I'll cover you from up there."

"Sounds great." Katie said. "Looks like everything is going according to plan huh?"

"Yeah except for the whole no guards thing. I left my post to come over here and haven't seen anyone. Most of the kids were hidden in the middle of the night after curfew." Rachel sighed.

"Speaking of no guards." Tony whispered. "Look there's Dan."

Katie, Tony and Rachel ducked into one of the alley ways. Dan was at the end of the street walking towards them. "Did he see us?" Rachel asked. Tony didn't say anything but Katie noticed he reached for the gun under his shirt.

When Dan got closer they could hear him talking to himself. "I got to do it- Mother- loves me not him-tonight." He passed by without taking his eyes off his chubby little fingers.

"What in the world?" Rachel mouthed.

"Let's follow him!" Katie whispered.

"What are you crazy? He'll see us!" Rachel whispered back.

"Fine you stay here I'm going to find out what's going on." Katie stood up and walked cautiously out of the alley.

"Katie!" Tony waved his hands at her. "Get back here!"

"I'll be back when I find out what's going on with Mother." With that Katie disappeared out onto the street. Tony and Rachel looked at each other.

"She's going to get us all killed." Rachel moaned softly.

"Or save us all. Come on we need to find Nick." Tony said.


	16. Not the Plan

Katie, Tony, and Rachel walked down the street together in a V shaped formation

"She what?!" Ryan screamed.

"Dude calm down!" Tony took a step back.

"How could you just let her run off like that?!" Ryan had backed his friend into a corner of the hallway.

"What is going on?" Karen walked out of one of the apartment rooms. "Ryan you are scaring some of the kids."

Ryan wheeled around on his sister. "He," He pointed a shaking finger at Tony. "He let Katie follow Dan back to Mother's house!"

"You what?!" Karen raised her voice now. "What were you thinking?!"

"Oh not you too!" Tony moaned and covered his face.

"Look, we tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen!" Rachel stepped in. "Not like we could do anything without Dan noticing us."

"Well you should have shot him!" Ryan started to shout again. "That's what I got you the guns for!"

"Okay Ryan, they are kind of right." Karen pushed Ryan back and couple of steps. "The only one of us that can get into Mother's house freely is you. You need to go after her."

"But, you need my help." Ryan said. "I can't leave you."

"I have a feeling that Katie needs you more right now than I do. Besides Kim and some of the other ladies are all the help I need. Trust me just go."

"Okay, okay I'll go. And you better pray to God she is okay!" Ryan turned back on Tony. Tony clasped his hands together tightly. "Oh Lord! Please make sure Katie if alright!" he mocked.

"That's not funny." Ryan growled as he walked towards the stairs angrily.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" Karen asked Tony.

"I should be with you always." Tony stepped out of the corner.

"Oh I think I'm going to barf." Rachel stuck her finger in her mouth and went down the stairs after Ryan.

"Here." Tony held out a silver whistle to Karen.

"Oh, wow. It's a whistle. Er, thanks?"

"Just blow it whenever you need me and I'll be there." Tony nodded. "As fast as I can."

Karen smiled. "Thank you Tony. That's sweet I just hope I'll never have to use it."

"Here's to hoping." Tony leaned in for a kiss but Karen pulled away shyly. "I have work to do." She giggled.

"I can't believe you shut me down. I could be dead tomorrow." Tony answered flatly. "I hope you're happy."

"I am. Be careful Tony." Karen gripped the whistle in her hand.

"Yeah yeah yeah, what's the point? I didn't even get a good luck kiss."

"Well maybe I'll give you a good job kiss if everything turns out okay." Karen laughed.

"I'm going to hold that to you." Tony smiled.

When Tony walked outside of the building Rachel was leaning against the wall waiting for him. "Tony, she's like fifteen." She said as she pushed her body off the building. "If all this never happened you could go to jail for that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, well it did happen. And for your information she is almost seventeen." Tony threw in. "Mind your own business will you?"

"Hey. I was just saying." Rachel shrugged. "Anyway if Nick wasn't here where should we look now?"

"Let's check the wall he might be somewhere on it. Besides I want to see if they got any closer."

"They? Who is they?" Rachel stopped.

"Oh yeah. Some zombies found us. But it's okay it's all under control." Tony grabbed her arm and started to drag her away.

"That's just what we need isn't it?" Rachel sighed.

* * *

"Hullo there Stephen!" Matt smiled. "It is Stephen right?"

"Yeah that's right." Stephen shook Matt's hand.

"This is my buddy Gene but don't call him that, it's just Davis." Matt introduced the much larger man. Davis was very muscular with blonde hair and a horseshoe moustache. Davis grunted at the sound of his name. "You'll have to forgive him. He doesn't talk much." Matt quickly added.

"Okay so what's the plan?" Stephen wondered aloud.

"Well, actually we don't have one at the moment. Basically we are just trying to not get caught until it gets dark." Matt rubbed the back of his head. "They told us all on construction to go home and not to come out until Mother says to come out."

"I don't get it why?" Stephen asked. "The guards aren't even out."

"That's because they are all in Mother's house." Matt sighed. "God knows what they are doing in there."

Stephen frowned. "This is all too suspicious." There was a low rumbling in the distance. "What was that?" Stephen turned around.

"Looks like dark is going to come a little faster than I thought." Matt looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were starting to gather east of the camp. There was the occasional dim flash of lightning. Meanwhile the sun slipped below the clouds slowly.

* * *

Katie saw Stephen talking with Matt but made sure he couldn't see her. The last thing she needed was for him to blow her cover as she trailed Dan. Turns out he was heading back to Mother's house. The whole way he kept mumbling to himself incoherently.

"_Is he gone?"_

"_I don't know I'm afraid to look."_

"_Here watch out." Emma reached over Katie's head and pulled on one of the tree branches. "I'm going to throw it." She said when Katie looked at her confused._

Dan opened the door to Mother's house and walked in with his head still down. "Great." Katie muttered to herself. She crept around and put her ear to the door and when she couldn't hear anything she grunted and stood up. "What the hell I've come this far." She whispered and carefully creaked the back door open.

"_Okay ready? 1…2…3!" Emma threw the branch onto the pavement. Katie watched it bounce and crash around. "Do you see anything?" she asked. _

"_No, I think he is gone." _

"_Alright. So, should we make a run for it?" Emma asked._

"_I'm not sure. What if he is hiding?" Katie pointed out._

"_Yeah, but I am starving. Besides I don't think that thing was smart enough to hide."_

"_I don't know Emma…" Katie ventured._

"_Here, I'll go first." Emma started to climb down slowly. _

"_Be careful." Katie helped to lower her. _

Katie stepped into the empty kitchen inside Mother's house. She could hear murmuring coming from down the hallway. Feeling brave Katie walked towards the voices while holding her breath. There were pictures on the walls of Dan, Ralph, and another child Katie had never seen before playing on tricycles.

"Dan we're so glad to have you join us." Katie heard Mother say coolly. Katie stood by the door way and listened carefully.

"Mother, some of the creatures are coming this way. And the people are up to something I know it." Dan answered.

"Yes, dear I know." Mother sighed. "Sit down."

Katie peered around the corner into the room. Mother and all of her followers were crammed into the dinning room. Mother was sitting at the head of a table with Dan and Ralph sitting beside her. The others were standing around or leaning against the walls.

"There's also a storm brewing out there." Dan put in.

"Have you seen your brother?" Mother asked Dan. Katie frowned. Ralph was sitting right next to her why would she ask him that?

"No, I haven't seen him." Dan muttered.

Ralph grunted. "I'm not surprised. With us not out there they are probably planning a revolt or something."

"Even so," Mother sighed. "I would have liked to take him with us. But I suppose he picked sides long ago."

"Good riddance I say. Don't worry about him Mother you still have us." Ralph spit on the floor. Mother smiled and looked graciously at Ralph.

"My dear Ralph." She sighed still smiling. Then without warning her glowing face turned into a scowl as she reached over and smacked him so hard in the face he fell to the floor and the sound echoed down the hallway. "Let that be a lesson to you. I'd throw you out there in a heartbeat if I had to."

Ralph rubbed his face as he looked up from the floor stunned. Dan gulped beside her. "Now back to business." Mother's tone had once again changed on a dime. "We are leaving tonight."

"Perfect!" Katie thought but then Mother continued.

"After Ralph radios the outsider gangs of course. We'll open the gates and ride out. Those who survive the creatures will be captured by the wild men."

"Oh my God." Katie covered her mouth as she listened to their laughter.

"Where will we go?" Ralph asked timidly cupping his red face.

"Up north. After all it was good enough for the president." Mother answered lightly. "Now Ralph go to the radio. Everyone else to the garage."

"Shit." Katie whispered and she sprinted back down the hallway.

"Hey!" Ralph shouted. He had seen her and started running after her.

"Don't let her warn the others!" Katie heard Mother screaming as she ran out the back door and onto the street. A loud clash of thunder deafened her and suddenly she was on the ground with another body on top of her.

"Ryan?" Katie screamed pushing him off. "Mother is planning to let the zombies in! They are taking the truck and leaving us to die!" a gun shot rang out with another burst of thunder.

"Don't move! Both of you!" Ralph screamed. He shot again but they ducked their heads and he missed. "I've been waiting for a chance to kill you." Ralph smirked and steadied his gun.

Ryan reached into his back pocket and then flung his arm forward. Ralph stood with a look of utter shock on his face. A trail of blood ran between his eyes and dripped down his nose. He let out a gaggled cough and his eyes rolled back. His mass collapsed onto the ground. Ryan's knife sprouting proudly from his forehead.

"You have got to show me how you do that." Katie said.

"Later, come on we have to stop Mother. You go warn anyone you see. I'll head over to the garage and try to slow them down." Ryan grabbed her hand. "Be careful."

"But-I-" Katie stuttered. "Katie GO!" Ryan shouted over his shoulder. He ran and pulled his knife out of Ralph all in one swift motion. Meanwhile the guards began pouring out onto the street.

"_Pull me up! Pull me up!" Emma shouted. The zombie gnawed on her shoes as she hung from the tree. Katie was reaching for her hand._

"_Hold on!"_

"_Katie I'm slipping."_

"_Just hold on! Take my hand!"_

"_I'll pull you down with me." Emma was crying. _

"_No, you won't Emma please just take my hand!" _

"_I'm sorry Katie." Emma shook her head. The zombie pulled her leg down more. His teeth sank into her innocent flesh. Emma screamed out in pain. "When I drop run Katie!" Emma shouted through her pain. _

"_I won't leave you! I can still pull you up!" Tears streaked her face._

"_RUN!" Emma growled loudly and snapped her teeth. Her eyes were changing colors. And Katie did, leaving the broken body of her best friend to be devoured underneath the tree._


	17. When it Rains it Pours

**This is a short chapter I know, but there is defiantly more to come. **

* * *

As Katie took off towards the town center it started to rain and all the guards who were not escorting Mother to the garage on the other side of the camp were out after her.

"Tony!" Katie shouted when she saw him and Rachel dart across the street in front of her.

"Katie?" Tony stopped and turned around. He held his rifle out as well as Rachel. "What's going on?"

Katie opened her mouth to explain but Rachel butted in "Talk on the way we have to get back to our posts!"

So they all three started to run back to the post office. As the ran Katie blurted out all that was going on. "Get down!" Tony shouted.

Two guards came around the corner and started shooting. Katie ducked behind a mail box on the curb while Tony and Rachel jumped into an alley. "Throw me a gun!" Katie shouted covering her head as bullets tore through the air. Tony pulled out a handgun and slide it over to her. "I'll cover you!"

Tony peeked out of the alley and fired back at the guards. "Rachel go!" Tony waved at her. Katie crouched up and began firing towards the guards too as Rachel crept out of the alley and across the street.

There was more gunfire in the distance. "Looks like we aren't the only ones having problems!" Tony shouted. "Whoa!" He ducked back behind the wall to reload.

Rachel ran into the nearest building. "Where is she going?" Katie asked in between shots.

"On the roofs. Hey you got a piece of that guy!" Tony answered.

"Just his leg, he can still shoot." Katie fired some more shots then crouched back down. "I'm going to follow her, will you be okay?"

"Yeah go! I gotcha covered." Tony peered out again and tried to shoot around the wall. Katie tucked herself in and ran across the street into the building Rachel was in. Katie found her stacking things underneath the door to the roof.

"Here, I'll boost you." Katie climbed on top of the pile and held her hands out for Rachel to step on to.

"Got it!" Rachel pushed the door open. Katie grunted and lifted her upwards. Rachel disappeared for a moment then stuck her arm down for Katie. When both girls were on the roof they could see Tony still pinned in the alley way. "Come on." Rachel ran to the ledge.

"We're going to have to jump." Rachel pointed across the adjacent building where there was a small gap.

"Way ahead of you!" Katie shouted as she ran past jumping off the building and landing in a roll on the other side. "Looks a lot easier on T.V." she moaned and rubbed her back. Rachel landed next to her and helped her up. "One more and we should be right over them."

"Oh my God Rachel look!" Katie pointed to the other side of the buildings. Guards and the townspeople alike were running around in a frenzy of gun fire. Bodies littered some of the streets and lawns. "I can't stand here forever!" Tony shouted at them from the ground.

Katie and Rachel jumped across the next building and peeked over the ledge. The two guards were reloading and shooting back to Tony. One was clutching his leg where Katie had previously shot him.

"Ready?" Rachel asked.

"Ever killed someone before?" Katie looked at the red head.

"Just animals with my dad and I don't count these 'animals' as people." Rachel answered. Katie nodded and together they stood up and fired down on the unsuspecting guards. Blood from their heads splattered on the wall and they collapsed on top of each other.

"You're clear Tony!" Rachel shouted. "Now how are we going to get down?"

"Look a fire escape." Katie pointed to a ladder hanging down off the roof.

Tony helped the girls off the ladder. "Good job but I almost had them." He laughed.

"Whatever. We could see you cowering from up there." Rachel shot back.

"Come on guys." Katie ran off again. The rain was causing her hair to cling to her face.

"Now where are we going?" Tony shouted after her. "Wait a minute." He stopped running and listened carefully.

"Tony we do not have time!" Rachel shouted back.

"I heard something! Karen! I have to go!" Tony turned and started to run off in the opposite direction.

"Tony?" Katie tried to call but the thunder blocked her voice out. "Let's get to the town center!" she turned to Rachel.

* * *

Stephen looked around the town center where most of the fighting was occurring. "What the hell happened? Who jumped the gun?" He screamed to Matt.

"I don't know but when I find him, I'm going to kill him!" Matt was fiddling with some wires. Stephen watched him carefully. Davis had his rifle out looking for any guard who managed to spot them. "Aha!" Matt screamed as he pulled a few wire out of the metal box. There was a loud buzz and then it seemed like the whole camp shut off.

"Whoa!" Stephen whispered. All the streetlamps went out and for a split second all you could hear were the rain drops hitting the ground.

"Maybe you should turn the power back on."

"Shit." Matt whispered. A big flash of lightning lit the center up and the gun fighting resumed.

"Look out!" Stephen pointed. A guard wielding a large knife was running towards them screaming. Davis shot him in the stomach but the man kept charging until he was on top of Stephen thrashing his knife around. Davis shot at him again sending blood all over Stephen.

"Gee, thanks." Stephen said as he was pulled up from the ground. He wiped his face with his hand.

"We have to move they know we are here. It's not safe." Davis grunted.

"You heard the man we're just going to have to fight in the dark!" Matt said.

"Where are we going to go in the dark? We can't see anything!" Stephen complained.

"Get back in the house we might be able to find some flashlights!" Matt pointed to Mother's house nearby. "It's not that far."

"In this case it might as well be ten miles! But let's go I'll follow you." Stephen shouted back pulling out his revolver.

**Next chapter will be where Karen and Ryan are during this. As well as Nick and Mother.**


	18. When it Rains it Pours II

Nick and Chris were standing on the wall looking out at the incoming zombies

Nick and Chris were standing on the wall looking out at the incoming zombies. "The rain will slow the down long enough I think." Chris grunted unfolding his arms and rubbing his head.

"Yeah I hope so." Nick looked up at the churning sky. A drop fell onto his face. "We should probably go find Ryan it's almost time."

"Speak of the devil." Chris pointed to a figure running below them.

"Ryan!" Nick shouted at him as he past by on the ground.

"Nick! I've been looking for you we have to go to the vehicle garages!" Ryan ran back and looked up and them urgently. "What are you waiting for? Get down here!"

"What's going on kid? I thought we were going to crazy lady's house?" Chris slid down the ladder. Nick followed after him and landed beside Ryan.

"Mother is trying to leave. She's going to let all the zombies in!" Ryan answered as gun fire broke out a few streets away. Nick and Ryan invoulantarily ducked their heads while Chris just stood holding his rifle.

"You two go to the garage then. I'll make sure no one gets their hands on the gate doors." He said.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked. "You don't need back-up?"

"Of course not, now go." Chris pushed Ryan forward roughly. "Go on."

Ryan nodded and looked at Nick. "Let's go." And they both ran off after Mother.

* * *

"Karen? What's happening? Where's my daddy?" The little girl in the apartment room was clutching her leg with one arm and her yellow blanket with the other.

"Don't worry, your dad is going to be back soon. He is just out playing with the other daddies." Karen patted her head gently. "Now you all have to be really brave for your mommies and daddies okay? Can you do that?"

The children in the room nodded silently in the dark. "Justin, I'm going to go check on the other rooms. Watch the kids okay? Don't leave this room no matter what."

Justin was a thirteen year old boy with dark hair and pale skin who wanted nothing more but to have a gun and be out fighting but since he wasn't of age he offered to help with the other kids instead. "Yeah sure." He grunted.

Karen opened the door and stepped out into the hallway carefully closing the door behind her. She could hear the gunshots more clearly outside of the room and said a quick prayer for everyone outside fighting. She walked down the hall towards the stairs where the next rooms of kids were.

As she began to open the door she heard someone coming up the stairs. "Hello love!" A man shouted from the level below. Karen could see his bearded face and beady black eyes from the stair landing looking up at her.

"I've got a gun." She warned her voice shaking. And she did have a gun, a small handgun that Ryan had given her just in case. Problem is she didn't know the first thing about shooting.

"I doubt that very seriously girl." He laughed and took the next step up towards her. Karen felt her fingers trace Tony's whistle in her pocket. "Stay there or I'll shoot you!" She whispered to him.

The man laughed again cruelly. "Oh please miss don't shoot!" He mocked holding his hands up. He climbed closer slowly. "Here I was. Looking for a place to get out of the rain and your friends' bullets and I find some real pretty company."

Karen glanced at the door, behind which were terrified children. She stepped back, she could run inside and lock the door but then the man would know there were children hiding in the building. He was coming closer grinning showing yellow and missing teeth. His arm looked like he had been shot. "Come on now girlie. Let's have a kiss." The man lunged the rest of the way up to her.

Karen ran back down the hallway hoping to lure the man out of the building. As she ran towards the other set of stairs on the other side of the floor she blew on the whistle as hard as she could. The man was to fast for her and tackled her before she could reach the end of the hallway. The whistle was still in her mouth as she tried to pull away so she was able to continue blowing on it.

"Come here! Stop fidgeting!" The man shouted and turned her over roughly. He pulled the whistle out of her mouth cutting the inside of her cheek. She screamed out in pain as blood leaked out of the corner of her mouth. The man slapped her in the face repeatedly then started to unbutton his jeans.

"NO!" Karen cried.

"Oh yeah. I'm going to enjoy this." He laughed and continued with his pants. His knees were pinning Karen down. Karen able to pull her arms free and dug her fingers into the man's arm were he had been previously shot.

"AHH!" The man screamed and pulled his arm back defensively. Karen was able to get up and start running again.

"You little bitch! Get back here!" The man stood to chase after her but he tripped over his pants around his ankles. Once he got his pants up he pulled his gun out and followed her around the corner.

"Where did you go?" He shouted down the empty hallway. "Show yourself!" He stopped in front of an apartment door. "Are you in there?" He grinned and put his ear to the door and heard some movement.

"Hunny I'm home!" He shouted and tried to kick the door down. Unfortunately for him the door's deadbolt was locked. As he screamed out in pain again and fell against the wall Karen opened the door with a fire extinguisher and covered him with freezing foam. But when she tried to wrestle the gun away from his withering body he was able to kick her legs out from under her.

"I got you now!" He shot a round at her head but she rolled over and tried to run back into the room. There were a couple more shots and then everything went quiet except for Karen's heavy breathing. She stared intently at the door pointing her gun from behind the kitchen counter that was facing the hallway. A shadow appeared in the doorway and she instantly fired two rounds into the door frame.

"Whoa!" Tony shouted with his hands up. "I guess I'm lucky you're a horrible shot!"

"Tony!" Karen ran out from behind the counter and into his arms. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Of course I came. A promise is a promise."

"What is this? You left me so you could go make out with your boyfriend!?" Justin was standing there looking at them. "Cool! What happened to that guy!" he exclaimed when he saw the guard crumpled against the wall.

"Justin I told you not to leave the room!" Karen walked over to him with her hands on her hips.

"What? You sounded like you needed help! I heard shouting! And you're crying!" Justin pointed out.

Karen wiped her eyes hastily. "Go back to the room!" she said sternly. "And don't come back out!"

"Fine." Justin sulked. "I just hope we do this again when I'm 18."

"Kids." Tony sighed. "Oh my God Karen you're bleeding."

Karen put her hand to her lip. "Yeah it's not serious. Shouldn't you be getting back? I'm fine now."

"No I've seen how you work a gun. I'm staying with you and the kids." Tony scoffed. "Now back to your room young lady."

* * *

"There she is." Nick pointed to the garage. Mother along with ten or eleven guards all armed were walking through the doors.

"Let's go." Ryan stalked up to the entrance door.

"Ryan!" Nick hissed. "We can't just run in there it'll be suicide!"

"It will be suicide if we stay out here too." Ryan whispered back.

"Okay but I'll go first."

"I'll cover you."

Nick crouched through the door gripping his shot gun tightly. He glanced back to make sure Ryan was following closely and crawled forward behind a mini-van. "They took everyone's cars in the beginning." Nick whispered over to Ryan.

"I want a four car escort around the RV." Mother stated just yards from where they were hiding.

"Yes, Ma'am." Some of the others answered.

"Where is Ralph?" her voice sounded bored.

"I don't know he never came back after that girl escaped."

"Pity. I think it's time to go now. They know what we are up to and I'd like to leave before they get here." Mother yawned.

"But, what about the others? They are still fighting." One of the guards asked. "We can't just leave them here."

"No dear I can do whatever I want." She smiled. "And they have served their purpose to me."

"But Mother my son is out there." The same guard stated.

Mother snarled. "Well maybe you will teach your son how to be more punctual next time. Now let's go. They cut the power so our radio plan obviously failed but maybe we could leave a trail for the rouges to follow."

"Nick look!" Ryan whispered and pointed to an empty spot among the other cars and trucks. "Someone already has a car!" At that same instant a guard called out. "Mother the military jeep is gone!"

"Derrick." Nick groaned.


	19. Derrick & Davy to the Rescue

Katie crouched in the grass avoiding bullets and Mother followers. The town center was a war zone. Mother's guards were on the east side while Katie, Rachel and the other townspeople were holding their position on the west side. The rain pouring down was not helping anyone and the only light anyone had was the flashes of gunshots and lightning.

"This is impossible!" Rachel shouted from a few feet away.

"Shut up and keep shooting." Mr. Wilson was nearby behind a park bench.

"We don't even know what we're aiming at!" Katie screamed trying to pick out a shot between lightning strikes. The man who was shooting beside her dropped with a strangled cry. "Shit." She checked his pulse quickly. "They got another one."

"Dalton we need some light!" Another fighter called out over the rain. "Or we'll all be in for it in the morning!"

"Do you hear a dog?" Rachel suddenly asked.

"A what?" Katie questioned but sure enough she could distinctly hear a dog barking even over all the commotion. "That's Davy!"

"Yeeeehaw!" Derrick Fallon, army helmet and all came around the corner in a military machine gun mounted jeep Davy sitting proudly in the seat next to him. He had the high beams on as ran over the curb and zoomed past Katie barely missing her and turning her into road kill. "Come on you Communists!" He shouted picking up speed and heading right into the mass of guards that Katie and the others could now clearly see thanks to the jeep's headlights.

"Come on now's our chance!" Mr. Wilson shouted and charged over the terrain firing as he went. Katie and Rachel shrugged and followed. "We're going to push them back!"

Most of the guards were blinded by the headlights on Derrick's jeep and didn't even realize they were quickly becoming surrounded. That didn't stop them from shooting wild random shots.

Katie and Rachel were running side by side with a stray bullet hit Rachel and she fell to the ground hard. "Whoa Rachel are you okay?" Katie bent over to cover her.

"Yeah, I-I think so." Rachel stumbled on her words and clutched her hip. "Damn it hurts so much."

"Hold on." Katie lifted her up and ran behind a building that was concealed in darkness. "Let me see." Rachel moved her hands from her hip. They were stained with blood leaking through her shirt and pants. "Keep pressure I'm going to go look for a bandage or something." Katie looked up and was immediatley blinded by a beam of light.

"Katie? Rachel?"



"Stephen." Rachel breathed. "Thank God you're here."

"Yeah way to turn of the lights you asshole." Katie joked.

"I know but I got some flashlights. What happened to Rachel?"

"She got shot. Stay with her until I come back with a bandage." Katie stood up. Stephen handed Katie the flashlight then started to take off his shirt.

"You're going to freeze to death." Katie mumbled as she watched him wrap his shirt around Rachel's wound carefully.

"I'm going to take her to a safe house." Stephen ignored Katie and lifted Rachel up into his arms. Hed tried to flip his hair out of his eyes but it just stuck to his face. Davis and Matt ran up to the trio. Davis did not hesistate to charge around the corner and into the fighting.

Katie felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched Stephen run off with Rachel against his chest she also felt the sudden urge to find Ryan. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Matt asked out of breath. Katie was still looking in the direction of where Stephen disappeared into the darkness. "I have to go." She sighed angerily and ran past Matt.

"I'll take that as a no." Matt groaned.

* * *

Ryan and Nick crept around the cars as Mother climbed into the RV followed by a few of her guards while the rest piled into a SVU in the front and a pick up truck behind. "Now's our chance." Ryan said and ran behind the pick up as the front guards were hauling the garage doors open.

"What are you doing? They'll see you." Nick whispered but was drowned out when the RV revved it's engine loudly. Ryan pulled out his knife and sliced one of the backtires just as the RV started to pull out.

"What the hell?!" The guard driving in the pick-up shouted when he tried to pull out after the RV. "Go check the tires!" he shouted to the other guard in the truck. "Just keep going!" the other man shouted back. Ryan ran to the other side and sliced the opposite tire as well.

This time the guard on the passenger's side opened the door and walked around the back to inspect the tires. "Rick, looks like somebody slashed th-" his voice was cut off as Ryan ran his knife through the man's throat swiftly. He dropped the body and crept back into the shadows.

The other guard stepped out of the truck timidly. "Hey, whose out here?" He shouted into the darkness. Ryan watched him carefully stumble clumsily in the darkness. "Show yourself!" The man held up his gun as he squinted around.



Ryan pulled out his gun and aimed it carefully and fired. The man fell to the floor screaming and holding his knee. Ryan walked over and pick up the guard's gun. "You just stay here and think about what you've done." He said as he pinched Rick's cheek like a grandmother would do.

"Ryan get in!" Nick shouted from behind the wheel of another truck.

"Hold on, let me get something." Ryan unclipped a radio from the still screaming man's belt.

"Rick where are you? Did you get hit?" A static voice came on it.

Ryan jumped into the truck and talked into the radio. "Uh yes, we had some problems with our truck but we got a new one. We're on our way."

"Copy that, stay away from the town center. We've mowed down at least three people so far. Meet us at the gate."

Ryan looked over at Nick who just shrugged as he sped down the road after the RV. "Watch out our guys don't know it's us in here." Ryan warned.

"I'm watching." Nick answered peering out the windsheild intensly.

"Take a left here. Where are you going? They are going to the gate you just missed the turn!" Ryan pointed.

"I know where I'm going." Nick sighed.

"Well do you know you are going the wrong way?" Ryan looked at the older man.

"Ryan I have lived here for ten years you've been here for a month tops just sit down and buckle your seat belt!" Nick shouted at him.

"Nick there's a fence there. Nick! Watch out for that fence!" Ryan was trying to jam his seatbelt in.

"Shut up!" Nick shouted again as the truck plowed through someone's backyard destroying the wooden fence.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryan shouted as they drove through the other side and into another backyard. "Have you lost your mind?"

"You know I've always wanted to do something like this!" Nick laughed breaking down another fence. Grass and dirt clumps flew up in the air around the truck, the windsheild was cracked from rocks and wood smashing into it.



Nick went through another fence and suddenly they were out on a deserted street. "Don't ever do something like that again when I am in the car." Ryan said with a shaky breath. Nick just laughed loudly.

"Rick what are you doing over there get behind the RV." The same voice came back over the raido. Ryan looked down the road where the SVU and the RV were driving slowly towards them. "Told you I knew where I was going." Nick said smugly and put the truck into reverse.


	20. Goodbye Mother

**Well, so my reviewers kind of disappeared but I really like writing this story so I'm going to keep going anyway. Yay, zombies get fed in this chapter!**

Katie made her way towards the gate when she tripped over a hole in the road. "Son of a bit-" Katie started before she was pulled up roughly by the collar her hoody.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked her letting go of her and lowering his gun.

"I was looking for Ryan. Damn that really hurt though." Katie rubbed her sore neck.

"You're lucky you fell I was about to take a shot at your head." Chris turned away and walked back towards the gate. "But since I didn't I need your help."

"Okay, but you know all the fighting is in the town center right?" Katie walked over to him.

"So I heard. But I need to disable the gate so Mother can't escape."

"Why do you need my help? Just disable it."

"I need you to hold the chain and keep it dry while I try to break it. The wind keeps blowing and I'd like to do this in one shot so the whole camp doesn't know I'm here." Chris sighed.

"So you want me to hold the chain?" Katie asked looking up at the wall. "How are you going to cut the chain though?"

"I was going to shoot it with this." Chris set his rifle down and reached around his back. He pulled out a silve automatic revolver with a long gleaming barrel.

"Where the hell did you get that thing?!" Katie looked at in awe.

"That's not important. Hurry up I think that's them right now." Chris nodded to the caravan coming up the road. "Never mind, it's too late we'll just have to stop them the hard way. Get down and stay down." Chris pushed Katie in the dirt.

The SVU slowed to a stop in front of the gate and two passengers climbed out. They ran to the gate and started fumbling with the slick chains and levers. In two shots they were on the ground dead. Chris was able to pick them off cleanly. The others started to shout and climb out of the car. Chris shot at them but missed as the ducked behind the car doors for cover.

Nick and Ryan climbed out of their truck and started firing from behind. They were able to pick off two more before the guards realized some of the shots were coming from behind. More guards poured out of the RV. One climbed onto the roof and began firing down. The SVU was now empty. Ryan and Nick crept around the side of the RV cautiously.



Katie watched the man on the roof who was preoccupied with aiming at Chris. She took a shot but the bullet couldn't clear the rounded roof. Now the only thing she did was give away her position on the ground. The man now turned to Katie and fired into the dirt next to her.

Meanwhile Ryan under the cover of Nick made his way to the ladder and began to climb up. Katie stood and ran to the other side of the RV pressing her back against the metal. She could hear Chris yelling but couldn't make out his words. A body fell in front of her as she was re-loading. It was the man who was shooting at her earlier. Ryan looked over the edge and peered down at her. "Katie?!"

"Holy crap Ryan what are you doing up there?" Katie looked. Ryan flinched back when sparks flew around him. The rain was defiantly slowing down and the gun shots in the distance seemed to be fading away. Ryan's head appeared from over the edge. Katie looked up at his outline and smiled. There was a final clash of lightning and for the split second that the sky was lit up Katie saw mother looking over behind Ryan.

"Ryan!" Katie shouted but was drowned out by the following thunder.

Ryan sensed someone standing behind him but when he turned all he saw was a fist already halfway to his face. The collision sent him back peddling off the roof of the R.V. and falling to the ground below. He landed half-way on the body of the guard in front of Katie.

"Ryan!" Katie shouted again and bent down to check his pulse. She didn't get the chance because someone had jumped on top of her causing her to collapse down onto her knees. As she was about to scream out in pain the familiar feeling of cold steel on hot flesh pressed into her neck.

"I will get out of here alive you little bitch." Mother hissed into her ear. For an old lady she had some moves. Struggling she pulled Katie out into the open by her neck. The firing stopped as she slowly dragged Katie towards the gate. Nick and Chris didn't take their aim off the remaining guards who just stood there stunned. "Open the gate!" Mother screeched. "Don't!" Katie shouted back. Mother twisted Katie's neck painfully.

"Listen, Maggie. She's just a kid let her go, you can take me." Nick offered stepping forward. Mother pressed the knife into Katie's neck sending blood running down onto her chest.

"No take me." Chris said. Mother looked back and forth between Nick and Chris flustered. "No I'll take her! I should have had her killed the moment she arrived here. Now open the door!"

"Okay, let's just be rationale for a moment. You can't go out there, the zombies are coming." Nick took another step towards Mother while eyeing the guards carefully.



Mother laughed out loud. "Zombies? There are no zombies out there! Don't you realize? The Lord works in many ways, he has purged the earth and now it is ready for people like me to re-emerge." Mother cackled.

"She's lost her mind!" Katie cried out.

"Open the gate dammit!" Mother screamed. One of the guards dropped his gun and ran over the pulley system that swung the door open.

"Don't follow me." Mother walked backwards out the doors. Her forearm was adjusted underneath Katie's chin and the knife was now pressing into her back. As she walked Katie's feet dragged on the ground helplessly.

The herd of zombies were a lot closer than Nick had thought they were only a few feet behind and as Mother slowly delivered herself and ultimately Katie into their waiting arms and mouths she didn't even know they were there.

"No!" Nick screamed out.

The guards ran off into the fort during the distraction with no loyalty to the woman who gave them all they had in their new life. "Stop!" Nick shouted again but Mother just continued laughing. Katie could hear the zombies moaning and started to cry.

"I can't get a shot I might hit Katie. Nick we have to shut the gates!" Chris said. "Before they get in."

The first zombie reached out and grabbed Mother by the hair. As soon as Katie felt the pressure from the knife against her back vanish she stumbled forward and fell on the ground.

"Katie run!" Nick shouted from inside the gate. He was waving frantically at her to return to safety. Katie turned around to see Mother's fate. The zombies were clawing at her skin with their unfiled sharp nails. One had ripped her stomach open savagely in from of Katie's eyes and started to slurp at her intestines like bloody pasty. Mother was still alive and she was still laughing as parts of her face were torn off. One of the zombies looked up and saw Katie sitting on the ground and moaned to alert the others of another fresh kill.

"Let's go girl!" Chris shouted now. "Before the old lady gets up."

Katie stood and ran back towards the doors that were already being closed. Nick was reaching his hand out for her as she grabbed for it he was able to pull her in just before the doors shut with a loud clang. A moment later there was the pounding of fists on the wall and doors from the outside.

Exhausted Katie passed out on the asphalt next to Nick and Chris.


	21. Leaving so Soon?

**I promise there is going to be a lot of zombie action starting next chapter.**

Katie woke up with a soft moan. She found herself in an unfamiliar but warm room. "Hey great you're up!" Ryan was sitting in the chair next to the bed. "You've been out for hours."

Katie looked at Ryan and started to laugh. "What are you laughing at?" Ryan asked seriously.

"What is that?" Katie pointed to his nose still chuckling. Ryan reached up and touched his nose gently where the cotton was sticking out of his nostril. "They told me to keep it even after the bleeding stopped okay." Ryan complained and pulled it out. "She got me good."

"I tried to warn you." Katie offered falling back onto the pillows.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Nick told me what happened after I fell." Ryan sighed.

Katie jumped up again. "Hey what happened to those zombies? Are they still out there?" Ryan stood up and followed Katie outside. "I don't know Nick and some others went to check. Are you sure you should be walking around?"

"I want to go. And why are we in one of the apartments?" Katie walked down the hall looking into the rooms as she headed towards the stairs. "Where are Stephen and Karen?"

"We are using it as the hospital. And Katylin and Stephen are fine they were coming to see you but now you're leaving so they'll be visiting an empty room." Ryan followed her the whole way until they were downstairs in the lobby.

"How many are dead?" Katie asked quietly before opening the doors. Ryan looked on the ground for a minute. "We're still not sure. There are still some bodies out there." Katie took a breath and the opened the door and stepped out. It was day but there was still a heavy cloud cover everything was cold and damp. Katie stepped over red stains in the road and grass.

Slowly they passed by the town center. "Oh man and I thought it looked bad at night." Katie sighed and looked around. Some workers were piling up dead bodies into two piles one for the towns people and one for the guards. The military jeep was totaled and looked like someone had rammed it into a building at top speed. Davy barked and bounded towards them. "Hey boy!" Ryan bent down to stroke his fur.

"Way to go Davy you did well." Katie smiled and hugged the dog. He licked her face happily. "We did it kid! Liberation has come!" Derrick shouted from the other end of the center. Katie looked up grimly. "At what cost?" she whispered to Ryan. "Come on I want to get to the wall."

Katie Ryan and Davy walked to the gates. Nick, Tony, and Chris were standing on top looking down on something. Tony looked like he was arguing with Nick.

"Hey what's going on?!" Ryan shouted as Katie climbed up the ladder.

"They are trying to kill my mom!" Tony shouted back.



"Damnit Tony she is not your mom anymore!" Nick said back. "Katie what are you doing out of bed?" he said when Katie peered over the wall next to him. A group of twenty or so zombies were staring back at her trying to break through the cement. "Your mom is down there?" Katie asked looking at Tony. Something slammed into the wall further down when Katie looked she saw it was Mother now a zombie running full speed into the wall.

"Oh my God!" Katie revolted. Mother stopped at looked at her. One of her eyes was completely dug out leaving an empty black hole surrounded by dried blood and saliva. Her innards were sliding out of the gaping hole in her stomach and dragging along in the dirt. Flesh hung limply from her cheek showing only bone and dead muscle. Mother roared and ran into the wall again.

"Just shoot them!" Ryan pulled out his gun.

"That's what we were trying to do." Chris grunted. "Then he comes along," he jutted a thumb towards Tony "And decides to get all emotional."

"Which one is you mom Tony?" Katie asked.

"Mother." Tony said blandly.

"No I mean which one is your mom?" Katie asked again.

"That woman there!" Tony pointed towards Mother.

"I don't understand." Katie was confused and looked to Ryan for support. "Mother is-she's your mom?"

"She gave birth to me alright." Tony shrugged.

"But you don't look anything like her!" Ryan pointed out.

"Yeah, I think that's a good thing." Tony answered.

"We need to put her down. We need to put them all down." Nick said. Chris started firing rounds into the faces of the zombies below.

"I don't care about them just don't shoot my mom." Tony scratched his head.

"Oh shit look at her go!" Ryan shouted. Mother was running away from the wall faster than anything human. "Where is she going?" Tony leaned over. Chris stopped shooting to aim after her. "I can't get a shot off she's too far."

"Good." Tony sighed. "But look at the other ones they are leaving too." Sure enough the other zombies turned around and stumbled after Mother who was already becoming a speck in the distance.



Chris and Ryan finished shooting them all before they got far at all. "There must be someone else out there." Katie whispered.

"Well she's there problem now." Chris put up his gun. Ryan nodded in agreement. "Good riddance."

"If there is somebody out there we have to help them." Katie looked at the three men. "What if they are stranded?"

"And what if they are outlaws or a rouge gang?" Nick said. "There is nothing out there for miles. No one could survive out there."

"We survived." Katie pointed to Ryan.

"There is something out there." Stephen, Rachel and Katylin had climbed onto the wall.

"Stephen!" Katie hugged him and then Karen. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

"I'm glad you're alright too. We went by your room but they said you left." Stephen said. "It was a hell of a night."

"What were you saying?" Ryan interrupted.

"There is a local college about fifteen miles west of here." Stephen sighed. "Mrs. Wilson told me about it."

"See that's the direction Mother ran! There must be some survivors there." Katie said.

"Yeah, it's a technical school. But it's been years since the outbreak they'd all be dead by now, if not from the zombies from starvation and thirst." Nick sighed.

"I don't care I still want to go and check it out." Stephen said. "Just give me a car and I'll go."

"Son you are not going out there." Chris looked at him funny. "No one has left this fort since it started and it didn't turn out well for the first person to do so."

"Listen I need to get to the college." Stephen said again. "I will go by myself if I have to."

"Stephen why do you want to go out there so bad?" Katie asked trying to study his eyes.

"Mr. Wilson is dead. He was killed last night back in the town center." Stephen looked down at his feet.

"Look Steph-" Ryan reached out for his arm but Stephen jerked it back. "I promised him I'd take care of his wife and she wants to see her son. He went to college there and I'm going to find him."



"Don't be crazy!" Nick butted in.

"Go talk to Mrs. Wilson about being crazy." Stephen's body started to shake. "Try telling a woman that her loving husband of over 30 years is dead and talk about going crazy. Now I will say this again. I am going out there so get me a car or get out of my way."

There was a long pause on the wall. "I'll go with you." Katie said. "Me too." Karen looked like she could not believe she had volunteered herself.

"Guess that means I'll have to come along as well." Ryan sighed. "Yes I guess it does." Katie smiled.


	22. Hope is a Good Thing

Katie stood by the car rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands jammed into her pockets. Actually it was a minivan; all of the larger trucks were low on gas so the blue minivan was all they had with enough room for all of them and all their stuff. Ryan wanted to take the RV, but Nick thought it would be best to keep the RV inside the fort. This was just a nice way of saying "Hey kids, if you don't make it back alive we might need this."

"I still don't see why I can go." Rachel complained. "I mean, Karen gets to go and she wasn't even allowed to fight." She was standing with her arms crossed watching Stephen and Ryan load supplies into the back of the van.

"It's a personal thing. There is no one else that I trust to go out there with. Sorry Rachel, just wait here and help out with the others." Grunted Stephen as he lifted the last box. Katie knew that was an instant mistake. Rachel flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, I see how it is."

"Rachel you're still hurt. You couldn't come anyway." Stephen brushed past the put off redhead. Katie watched their argument. Ryan walked over and stood beside her. "Who is winning?" he asked. "Nobody." Katie answered.

"Katie was passed out this morning! She still gets to go!" Rachel and Stephen were going at it in the background when Karen walked up to Ryan and Katie. "What is going on with those two?" she asked. "You don't want to know." Ryan sighed and walked back over to the minivan. Stephen was able to either calm Rachel down or piss her off so much that she had to leave.

"That was real smooth." Katie glanced over at Stephen as he stormed back from the retreating figure of Rachel. "Now she thinks you don't trust her."

"Shut up Katie." Stephen spit out.

"Don't tell her to shut up because you're acting like a dumbass!" Ryan jumped on him.

"Well, just like old times. Are we leaving yet?" Katie sighed. Karen laughed. "So Karen why are you going with us? You hated leaving the fort."

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like I haven't really done anything to justify my being here. Ryan and you always got me out of trouble and the other night Tony did. I just want to help." Karen answered.

"Yeah, I get that. Little sister syndrome." Katie smirked.

"Did you have a big brother too?" Karen asked.

"No. I was an only child but I think that's a good thing now. One less thing to worry about."

"Let's go girls!" Ryan shouted from the passengers' seat of the van. Stephen was beside him in the driver's seat.



"Well, I was hoping Nick would show up. But I guess we should just go while we have the chance."

"Yeah I was wondering where Tony was..." Karen trailed off. Katie laughed again and pushed Karen towards the van by her shoulders. "You got it bad huh."

"You do to. Don't lie." Karen shot back. Katie glanced at Ryan and they climbed into the van. "Yeah, so what?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked turning around in his seat as they drove towards the wall.

"Nothing just girl talk." Katie sighed. The team pulled away and they headed down the road. At the gate Nick, Chris, and Tony were standing there waiting. "Hey look there they are." Katie pointed from the back seat.

Stephen rolled down the window and Nick stuck his head inside. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you. I'd wish you'd just stay put here. But I reckon I wouldn't be able to say anything to change your minds."

"Don't worry Nick." Katie chirped in. "We'll be back and it will be with supplies and anything else we can find."

"I just want you all to be careful. Don't try anything heroic just get back safe and sound." Nick mumbled as he withdrew his head. He nodded at Chris and Tony to open the gates. As they drove out Tony stepped forward and waved half-heartily trying to see Karen through the tinted windows. Ryan had said he wasn't allowed to come with them.

They drove over the broken bodies of the zombies from earlier this morning and the gates closed quietly behind them. Katie turned around to look and felt a twinge in her stomach. Like she was leaving home or something. Davy lay silently in the back with the supplies.

"At least now with Mother gone we can get the radios back up and working." Stephen pointed out as they traveled through the dry and cracked landscape. There was barely a road anymore it had become over grown with weeds. Nobody answered him and they continued on in silence.

Katie watched Ryan. He looked bored driving and even yawn a couple of times. Karen caught her staring and nudged her a little bit. Katie pushed her back and then cleared her throat loudly.

"So. Ryan?" She asked not even looking at him.

"What?" he grunted back.

"Oh, nothing never mind." Katie sighed. Karen threw her a dirty look and nudged her again. "Stop it!" Katie whispered a little too loudly.



"What was that?" Ryan peered into the rearview mirror at the two girls in the back.

"Um, Karen here was just wondering if we were getting close." Katie lied pushing Karen one more time.

"We can't be that far." Stephen sat up suddenly; he had been slumped in the seat for the last hour. "Look at that!" he was pointing out the window and Ryan pulled the van to a stop.

"Well how are we going to get around this?" Karen asked quietly.

"You mean how are we going to get around _them_?" Katie corrected. They could all barely make out the figures of slow moving human like shapes. Around them were small rundown buildings and parking lots that Katie could only assume was the college they had been looking for.

"Well we do have a car. We could just mow them all over." Ryan opted.

"And what happens if one of them gets caught underneath and we stall out? Too risky, let's find a way to get around them without them noticing." Stephen shot down Ryan's idea immediately.

"I think sneaking around them is going to be a little difficult considering how many of them there are." Katie added. "We should try to split them up and deal with them on a smaller scale."

"Well how are we going to split them up?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know maybe we should split up too. Half will go after each of us." Katie answered.

"Good idea." Karen said to the shock of everyone. Even Davy cocked his head a little bit. "Katie and Ryan go together and I'll go with Stephen!" she announced before anyone could say anything else.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Ryan tried to say but Karen cut him off. "Don't worry I'll be fine! Tony was showing me how to shoot correctly last night and Stephen will take good care of me, won't you Stephen?"

Stephen gaped at her like a fish. He couldn't find the words to say so Karen pushed on. "It's settled then. Ryan park the car somewhere safe and hidden and let's go already."

"Since when did you become Rambo?" Katie asked as Ryan dumbly steered the van behind a rock formation. "Since last night." Karen answered simply.

"Are you sure about this?" Ryan wondered as he closed his door carefully so it wouldn't make any sound.

"Positive. If you need anything just radio us!" Karen chimed pointing at the walkie talkie on her hip.



Katie shook her head as she loaded her revolvers. "I guess we'll meet back here in half an hour?" Stephen suggested as Karen started to drag him away.

"Yeah sure." Ryan nodded watching as Katie tucked a pocket knife into her back pocket. "You ready?" He asked trying to keep his voice steady.

Katie looked up at him and smiled. "Of course I'm ready."

Ryan waved and Stephen and Karen and they began to walk out in the open on one side of the campus while Ryan and Katie took the other side.

The first couple of zombies spotted Stephen and Karen and moaned after them. The rest just stumbled around padding at the pavement. Davy growled at Katie's side. All of the zombies were young adults, probably students that didn't get home in time. Karen and Stephen disappeared behind a building.

"Where should we look first?" Katie asked keeping her eyes on the zombies who still hadn't seemed to notice them.

"I don't know…Stephen said there might be survivors." Ryan answered looking around at the worn buildings. "I don't think that's possible out here."

"Watch it." Katie pointed at some of the zombies who began to walk towards where Stephen and Karen had gone to. "I think they saw them."

"Hey!" Ryan shouted. Some of the zombies turned around and changed their course for Ryan and Katie.

"Stephen you have a group headed your way." Katie called into the radio. Ryan started to pick off zombies as they came closer.

"Yeah we see them; we think we found the cafeteria. We'll check around in here."

"Okay be careful." Katie answered back. "Come on." She said to Ryan who fired one more shot at the oncoming dead and walked off after her.

The zombies still followed them mindlessly but they were to slow to catch up to them so neither of them was worried much. "What do you suppose this use to be?" Ryan stopped to look up at one tall building.

"I don't know maybe it was dorm rooms?" Katie answered looking upwards. There was a stained white sheet hanging out one of the windows on the fourth floor. "Someone must have been up there."

"Should we go check it out?"



"No whoever was up there. They are long gone by now." Katie sighed. The moaning from the zombies grew louder. She turned around and started shooting at them some more. Ryan stared at the building some more. "Are you sure?"

"Help me out will ya?" Katie ignored him. There was a louder roar. "What the hell was that?" Katie said looking around.

"It sounded…new." Ryan stepped back slowly. "Come on Katie let's get out of the street."

There was another loud roar that powered over the soft moans. "Okay, Okay." Katie sighed as Ryan held the door open to the dorm building. And Katie rushed inside. "Ah man this is gross." Katie pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose. Ryan pushed one of the torn couches from the lobby over the door.

Roaches scurried across the floor in front of them. "Let's get away from the door." Ryan pulled Katie by the elbow towards the stairs. "Careful, there could be some trapped in here." They reached the second story lobby and still didn't find anything or anyone. Downstairs the zombies were pounding on the door.

"Ryan? Katie?" Stephen called over the radio.

"Yeah this is us." Katie grimaced into the radio as Ryan shuffled around the mess and walked down one of the hallways occasionally knocking on the room doors.

"Hey so far we haven't found much of anything. We lost most of the zombies trailing us, but we saw a fresh one running around so be carefully. We shot him but there is no telling how many more there could be. You know those guys back at the fort? I think they might have been bitten."

"We thought we heard something. Okay, we are in a dorm building but they have us surrounded outside. I think we will try to get up on the roof and take them out from up there before we try to leave."

"Alright me and Karen are in the library now. Think we should get some books? And oh yeah Katie we found something you'd enjoy we're bringing it back."

Davy started whining loudly and rushed back over the staircase. "Hey Stephen I'm going to have to get back to you." Katie said and clipped the radio back onto her belt. "Ryan get back here I think something is wrong with Davy."

Davy growled and ran a little ways up the stairs then jumped back down. He ran over and nipped at Katie's fingers then went back to the stairs. Ryan ran over with his gun drawn and watched Davy repeat jumping on and off the stairs leading up.



"I think he wants us to follow him." Ryan said stepping forward after the dog who barked and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. Katie and Ryan followed with their flashlights and guns drawn. Davy led them up two more flights of stairs before he ran down another hallway.

Katie looked at Ryan who just shrugged and followed the dog to a door near the end of the hallway. "Something is in there." Ryan pointed at the door.

"Or something was in there." Katie pointed out.

"You are always so negative." Ryan frowned.

"Well, I just don't see how-"

"You don't need to have logic if you have hope." Ryan interjected. "Even still keep your gun out."

Katie rolled her eyes and steadied her gun at eye level. Ryan knocked on the door carefully then kicked it down. He jumped out of the way as Katie thrusted her gun into the room. "Clear. I think Davy is losing his touch." The room was small. Two beds on opposite sides of the wall with a desk between. The carpet was stained and worn.

Ryan stepped into the room. "I don't understand."

"Oh God it smells worse in here." Katie coughed and walked over towards the only window in the room. There was a sheet hanging outside it. This was the room they had seen from on the street. "Ryan whoever was in here must have survived the initial outbreak."

"Is that the bathroom?" Ryan walked over to a door that Katie hadn't even seen. It was blocked by another wooden desk. Davy started to growl softly again. "Maybe someone got bit and locked themselves in there."

"Or maybe to keep someone out."

"Katie watch out!" Ryan shouted pushing her out of the way. There was a zombie, almost completely a skeleton now. Granted it was only the upper portion of the zombie it was still dangerous. It crawled out from under one of the two beds. Ryan shot it in the head easily.

"Come on, let's move this." Ryan began pushing the desk away from the door.

"You sure you want to that?"

But Ryan had already moved the desk and knocked on the door again. Nothing knocked back so he cautiously cracked the door open. "Oh geez." He sighed and put his gun back in its holster.

"What is it?" Katie swallowed.



"You were right." Ryan pushed the door all the way open. Katie peered in. Three bodies lie on the floor by the sink one was in the bath tub. "Damn. They don't even look like they've been dead that long."

Katie hung her head down. "It's a horrible way to die."

Ryan shook his head in agreement. "Should we move the bodies?"

"No," Katie answered wiping her eyes. "We wouldn't have anywhere to put them anyway. Let's just leave them here."

Ryan took and deep breathe and turned away. Out of the corner of Katie's eye she saw movement. The man in the bath tub had moved. "Ryan watch out!" Katie shouted afraid that the man was about to turn into a zombie.

Ryan turned around and looked at him carefully. "Did you just see him move?"

"Yeah I think so. Jesus Ryan don't touch him!" Katie protested as Ryan stepped over the other bodies and into the main bathroom. He crouched down and pressed his fingers to the guy's neck. "Holy shit Katie I got a heart beat!"

"Are you serious?"

"I am dead serious. It's faint but I got one." Ryan reached underneath the young man and lifted him up. His body was thin and bony. He reminded Katie of one of those Holocaust survivors she saw in her text books.

"We need to get him back to Lambert pronto!" Ryan stepped back out into the living room area. Davy barked and bounded from the room.

Katie pulled out the radio. "Stephen! You're not going to believe this! We found a survivor!"

"What?!" Stephen's voice sounded just as shocked. Ryan was leaving the room. "Katie!" he roared.

"Right, yes we found a man who is still alive! But we need to get him out of here now!"

"Well we're in luck then because me and Karen are sitting back at the van waiting for you. You said you're in a dorm building?"

"Katie what are we going to do they are still out there?" Ryan shouted from the first floor as Katie hurried down still talking to Stephen on the radio.

"Yes there is a sheet hanging out of one of the windows but be careful like I said before we are still swamped here." Katie pulled out her gun again and walked over to one of the windows. "Shit. There are like twenty out there."



"Hey can you hear me?" Ryan was talking to the broken man that he was cradling in his arms. "You just have to hang in there for a little longer; we are going to get you out of here."

"Stephen says he is bringing the van around." Katie said from the window.

Ryan continued talking to the man. "Just hang in there, you did it, we are going to get you out of here." He repeated over and over to him. "Where the hell is Stephen?!"

As if on cue the van's horn went off and Stephen flew by the building clipping some of the zombies near the door. "Okay get ready." Katie pulled the couch away from the door.

"You're going to have to cover me. I can't carry him and hold a gun at the same time." Ryan said.

Stephen drove by again pulling some more zombies off the door. "He is coming back around, let's go." Katie pulled open the door and shot at the zombies still moving around. Ryan followed behind her and watched at Stephen swung the van around and began speeding towards them.

"Get in!" Karen shouted as she flung open the side door. Ryan ran and jumped inside taking the man with him. Katie covered him but a whole new group came from around the corner. "Katie jump in!" Ryan shouted at her. But Stephen didn't stop and drove on a little ways before he spun around again.

Katie was becoming surrounded quickly but her guns were keeping most of them at bay. Out of nowhere there came a loud roar. Three of the more 'fresh' zombies were sprinting straight for her. "Hurry up guys!" Katie shouted nervously firing at the ones still close to her.

Stephen drove by again and this time she was able to jump into the door as Karen held it open. "It's about time!" Stephen shouted and sped off the campus. Katie sat on the floor with her head leaning against Karen's. She was breathing heavily. Ryan was in the seat holding the man up. He gave Katie a knowing look and she sighed contently.

"How's he doing?"

"I think he is going to make it."

"We can only hope."


	23. Welcome Back

Back at Lambert Ryan was the first to jump out, still clutching the man in his arms. Without saying anything he ran towards the apartments that now made up the hospital. "Did I just see what I thought I saw?!" Nick asked Katie as she jumped out.

"Yes, we found a man still alive but he is really weak." Katie sighed as he pulled her into a giant hug.

"I'm glad you are safe. All of you." Nick beamed as Stephen stepped out of the car. Tony ran over and engulfed Karen completely. "I missed you!" and "I missed you more." Quickly ensued between the two.

"Calm down we've only been gone half a day." Stephen grumbled. He was obviously expecting someone to meet him but Rachel was nowhere in sight.

"I'm going to go find Ryan at the hospital." Katie said and pulled away from Nick carefully.

"Oh no you're not; you need to go get some rest. Ryan will be fine without you." Nick grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around in the direction of his house. "You go straight back home and get some shut eye."

"Come on Nick I'm fine really just let me go-"

"Katie go home right now. I'll tell Ryan when I see him." Nick advised sternly. Sighing heavily Katie walked forward. She was pretty tired, and she could always see Ryan now that Mother was gone. She had forgotten about that. There was no one left in the camp that could make her life Hell.

"Hey Katie wait a second!" Stephen shouted running up to her. He was holding something wrapped in torn clothing. "Karen and I found it back at the college. I remember you saying you use to play awhile ago."

Katie accepted the present and when she saw what it was she almost dropped it in shock. "A soccer ball." She nodded with tears swelling up in her eyes. "I haven't played with one of these since…" she couldn't finish.

"Yeah, well it's a little flat but I think we could find a bicycle pump around here. That should do the trick." Stephen rubbed the back of his head as he talked.

"Thanks Stephen. Really thanks a lot." Katie hugged Stephen. "It means a lot anyway."

"Don't worry about Katie. You deserve it after saving my life so many times."

"Hah! You've saved my butt more than I've yours." Katie laughed.

"Well, even so." Stephen smiled. "Nick was right you should get back and get some rest."



"Okay, okay. I'm going." Katie grinned and wiped her eyes. "Thanks again."

"No problem." Stephen waved and walked back to where Nick and Tony were starting to unload the van.

Katie walked down the street twirling the half-flat soccer ball between her hands. Many people passed her and waved hello or commented on the day but Katie just kept moving as if some force was propelling her forward. She walked past the town square where most of the bodies had been removed or buried by now. On the front steps of the courthouse a group of Mother Freaks were sitting with their hands on top of their hands surrounded by armed men of the camp. I guess not all of Mother's followers were willing to follow her into death. Katie turned away with disgust when she saw Dan among the survivors. He was crying like a baby.

The gray sky cast down on the town. There was a woman Katie did not know crying on her front porch. She was tempted to go sit with her but just looked down at the ground and kept walking past.

Further down the street she ran into Matt. "Hey, Katie glad to see you back!"

"Yeah we went…out for a little bit." Katie answered slowing her pace to allow Matt to walk along beside her.

"Well I hope that worked out alright then. Anyway I was wondering if you had seen Stephen at all, I need his help to get the power back on before it gets too much darker."

"Yeah he is back up at the front gate with Nick still I think."

"Oh okay thanks Katie!" Matt turned and headed back the way Katie had come.

"Good luck with the power!" Katie shouted over her shoulder. When she got to Nick's house it was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Hello?" she cried hoarsely into the house. "Mrs. Lewis? Brad?" nobody answered her so she walked down the hall. "Where is everybody?"

She walked back into the kitchen to get some water. In mid gulp she found a handwritten note pinned to the refrigerator reading

_Dear Nick,_

_I am helping out with the wounded in the hospital. Brad is staying next door with Mrs. Janice._

_Love,_

_Kim._

"That answers that question." Katie sighed and slumped over to the couch. She lay down and stared intently into the ceiling fully content.

Next thing she knows Brad is jumping on top of her screaming "Katie! Katie! Katie!"

"What?!" Katie shouted sitting up immediately. She wasn't on the couch anymore she was in a bedroom that she recognized as a guest room that Nick must have cleaned out while she was gone.

"Nothing I missed you!" Brad stopped jumping and latched onto her.

"Um I missed you too little guy. How about you let go and I can get up."

"Can we go play?" Brad didn't let go so Katie had the task of crawling out of bed with the small boy still hanging on her hip.

"Let's eat breakfast first." Katie sighed trying to pry him off. He let go suddenly.

"Breakfast?! It's not time for breakfast!"

"What time is it?"

"I don't know." Brad shrugged. "I had lunch already."

"How long was I asleep for?"

"All of yesterday." Nick answered from the doorway. "I sent Brad in here to make sure you were still alive. He had been begging to wake you up since the first night."

Katie smiled. "So everything is going good then?"

"I'd say so. Matt still hasn't been able to get the power back on so we've been trying to make our own candles."

"Katie come play with me!" Brad interrupted.

"Bradley." Nick warned.

"No its okay just let me get something to eat first and I'll meet you in the front yard." Katie ruffled Brad's hair.

"Yay!" he shouted and ran out of the room.

"Now he is never going to let you go you know that right?" Nick chuckled as Katie past him down the hallway.



"That's okay I don't plan on giving him a reason too."

* * *

"Brad for the last time you can't touch the ball with your hands." Katie sighed pulling the ball from the kid's grasp.

"Why not?"

"Because you only use your feet in soccer." Katie answered patiently.

"Then how come they don't call it football?"

"Well, in America there is already a sport called football." Katie kicked the ball towards Brad who stopped it with his foot this time. "There you go. Now try to kick it back." Brad liked kicking things. He liked kicking things hard.

The ball went soaring over Katie's head and into the neighbor's yard three houses down. "We have to work on that kick control buddy."

"I don't know I think the kid shows some talent." Ryan was smiling on the side walk.

"You're right. He is better than you anyway." Katie laughed. Ryan rolled his eyes and walked into the gate. "How was your nap Sleeping Beauty?"

"Don't call me that and it was fine." Katie answered. "Hey Brad why don't you go get the ball and see if you can bring it back here without picking it up."

"Okay!" Brad shouted loudly and ran down the street.

"I came by this morning and you were still sleeping." Ryan walked over to the steps and sat down. Katie followed him.

"Yeah, I just got up a couple of hours ago thanks to Brad." Katie nodded at the little boy down the way struggling with the soccer ball.

"Our friend is still alive." Ryan announced.

"Our friend? You mean the guy we picked up?"

"Yeah they are trying to get him to eat but he is too weak. Hasn't said anything either I don't think he even knows people are trying to help him."

"Maybe he will pull through and that trip wouldn't have been worthless."

"I know. But that's not why I came over here." Ryan said changing the subject.

"Okay, did you want to talk to Nick?" Katie pointed back into the house and made to move.



"No, I came here to talk to you."

"Alright then what's up?" Katie sat back down.

"Well, it's kind of stupid really. But there is going to be like this party thing tomorrow night you know to celebrate everything. And there is going to be dancing and stuff-"

"Ryan are you trying to ask me to go with you?" Katie asked.

"More or less. But you know-just as friends though. I mean unless you-but I was just asking as a friend." Ryan stumbled.

"No going as friends that's fine! Wouldn't have it any other way." Katie answered with her face reddening

"Cool. So um, I guess I will see you later." Ryan rubbed his hands on his pants and stood up slowly

"Yeah, that sounds great actually." Katie stood up too. They shared an awkward handshake and Katie watched Ryan walk down the path just as Brad came back into the yard holding the soccer ball in his hands.

"Was that your boyfriend?" He asked.

"I thought I told you not to pick it up with your hands." Katie said defensively avoiding Brad's question.

"Soccer is too hard."

Katie laughed then saw a tower of smoke shoot up in the air a block over. "What in the world was that?"

"Daddy said to stay here." Brad shouted as Katie walked outside the gate. "Brad go back in the house I'll be back in a little bit."

Katie walked in the direction the smoke was coming from. It looked like it was near Mother's house. She quickened her pace until she was jogging around the corner.

"Okay, well….I won't do that again." Stephen sighed. His face was completely black from the smoke and his hair looked singed. Matt was standing next to him holding electrical tape and wire cutters. "I told ya it wasn't that one!"

Katie started laughing at the site. Stephen scowled at her "Yeah well, let's see you do any better!"

"Hi Katie." Rachel greeted cheerfully from behind her.



"Hey Rachel, what are you doing over her?" Katie asked as Stephen and Matt returned to working on the electricity.

"I saw the smoke, figured someone started to burn down Mother's house finally. I wanted to help if they were." Rachel pointed at Mother's empty house. No one had moved in even though it was a nicer house than any other in the fort, it was left completely empty. Brad and the other kids have begun to say it's haunted.

"Nick has plans for her house!" Matt called to the girls. Stephen smacked him and told him to pay attention. Matt grumbled and returned to working.

"How's your hip?" Katie asked casually to Rachel.

Rachel turned and started walking away and Katie walked beside her. "It still hurts a little. The bullet didn't go in fully so besides the slight limp I'm good."

"Glad to hear that. Where are we going?"

"Well I was just planning on wandering around until the town meeting tonight." Rachel sighed.

Katie kicked a rock along. "Town meeting? Never been to one of those."

"Yeah well you need to go to this one. Nick is leading it, they are going to try and make him mayor or something but I know he won't accept."

Katie agreed. Nick wouldn't want to be in control of a whole city, the responsibility of having a family was enough for him. "Who will do it then?"

"Not sure." Rachel shrugged. "I think they should set up a council type thing. You know like Congress or something."

"I think that's a great idea Rachel."

"Really? Stephen said places like this need a central leader to all follow behind."

"Well Stephen is dumb." Katie and Rachel laughed as they walked along. "Hey mind if we go to the hospital? I wanted to see about that man we brought back."

"Sure, I haven't had the chance to see him either."

So they changed directions and walked towards the Hospital apartments. They met Kim walking out. "What are you girls doing here?" She asked holding the door open for them.

"Just wanting to visit someone. Are you going home?" Katie asked grabbing the door from her.

"Yes, I'll be back later though."



"Well you just go get some rest. Nick was worried about you." Katie said to her as she walked down the stairs nodding to herself.

"Come on, I think he is on the first floor somewhere." Rachel sighed pulling Katie down the hall.

"Katie? Rachel?" Someone called from the opposite end of the hall.

"Hey Karen!" Katie said turning around. "What are you doing here?"

Karen offered a half-shrug. "Just helping out I guess."

"Hey Karen, I think I've got a fever. Come take care of me!" Tony flirted out of sight. Karen's face turned dark red. "Um, we'll leave you two alone then." Katie smirked and walked the opposite way with Rachel giggling behind her.

"Here it is." Rachel said peaking into the half-open door to the apartment. Katie passed her and walked into the room. There was a nice living room area with a kitchen with another door leading to the bathroom and the bedroom. The bedroom door was open and Katie could see a figure lying on the bed.

"He looks like a skeleton." Rachel gasped.

"Yeah well he looks better than he did when we picked him up. Smells better too." Katie pulled up a chair for Rachel and herself to sit down on. "It really makes you wonder."

"What?" Rachel asked flopping down.

"How many others like him are out there? Locked in a room with no food or water, terrified, hoping someone will come find them but they never will? There were others with him and he was the only one that was still alive. He was the only one who was still hanging on."

Rachel didn't answer back. She just stared at the man on the bed. Broken.

"I just wish he'd wake up." Katie sighed and lowered her head. Rachel gasped loudly causing her to snap her head back up. The man was moving. His eyes were open, granted they were only tiny slits, they were open.

"Rachel quick go get a nurse!" Katie shouted standing up. Rachel dashed out of the room quickly as Katie stood over him. "Hello?" she asked timidly.

"Where am I?" The man's voice was very soft and barely audible.

"You're safe. You're in a hospital kind of."

"Where's David?" He asked again.

"I don't know who David is…" Katie trailed. "We found you, you were at college."



The man started to cry loudly. In fact it surprised her how loud the man could be. He was shaking and screaming out in pain. "What's wrong?" Katie tried to shout over him. "Help is coming!"

"No!" The man shouted. The tears were running down his face. He began to settle back down but was still crying. "Take me back. I want to die. Let me die."

One of the ladies in charge along with two others rushed into the room and pushed Katie out. The door slammed promptly in her face. The man could still be heard crying from behind the door.

Katie slid down the door with her hands clammed firmly around her ears until she was crouched on the floor trying to block out the worst sounds she had ever heard.


End file.
